Harry's Ducky
by Drusilla Dax
Summary: Dumbledore’s plans for Harry will not work as expected with Dr Donald Mallard in the frame. HP/NCIS crossover - complete
1. Chapter 1

Pairings: yes, but I'm not spoiling the surprises + canon pairings in NCIS and HP.

Rating and notes: 15, remotely post-DH and NCIS consistent, but a major AU nonetheless. The bunny was adopted from JE Stephen.

Summary: Dumbledore's plans for Harry will not work as expected with Dr Donald Mallard in the frame.

Disclaimer: I'm _just_ playing with other people's toys and nothing you think you know is mine. May I be forgiven in my next incarnation! Flamers will be adopted by my blood relatives (if you don't believe it's a threat... too bad for you!).

Editor: Mikee. The remaining mistakes are all mine, and I apologize for those.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've almost finished writing this story (over 130 pages already!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

**Harry's Ducky**

The baby, Harry Potter, had just been left on the doorstep of his aunt's house in Little Whinging.

Albus Dumbledore, the head of the resistance against the Dark Lord and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, truly believed that the magical protection echoing in the blood of Harry's mother's sister was the only way to protect him from the madman who'd just slaughtered James and Lily Potter. Albus explained everything in the letter he left in Harry's basket.

Albus's old friend and colleague, Professor Minerva McGonagall, was an Animagus – which meant that she was able to take the shape of an animal – and she'd spent most of the day looking like a tabby cat and observing Harry's aunt, Petunia Dursley of Number Four, Privet Drive, and her husband, Vernon, and their brat, Dudley. Albus had told Minerva that Petunia would have to take the baby in, but the good-hearted witch was really afraid for the baby's safety. She didn't know much about Muggles – non-magical people – but the Dursleys looked like a nasty lot – one that wouldn't allow Harry to grow up and develop as a healthy and happy wizard.

Minerva had left with Albus after he deposited Harry before the Dursleys' door, but she'd come back and was now hiding in the shadows, waiting for either Petunia or Vernon to open the door, find Harry and adopt him.

In the distance, Minerva heard a Muggle car sputtering. The car managed to reach Number Two, and stopped.

'Good gracious!' exclaimed the driver. 'Maybe I should have named you before I took you out.'

The Muggle got out and started to try and fix his hand-built Morgan car. Minerva found it funny and nice that he spoke to his car. It was very late, therefore he tried to be as silent as possible, so as not to disturb the people who lived there.

At one point, a tiny wail was heard.

Inside the Dursleys' house, Petunia had just finished feeding her whale of a toddler, and she heard the wail, too.

Minerva got closer to the house.

The Muggle man noticed the basket on the doorstep, and he walked towards it to investigate just as Petunia opened the door. Petunia was cunning enough not to have turned the hall light on.

'There's a baby on your step, Ma'am,' the man declared as if it were normal.

'What are you doing here? Why are you leaving a baby here?' Petunia hissed.

'My car's broken, Ma'am,' he said, pointing at his creation.

Petunia snorted.

The man gently took the basket, and the baby gurgled at him and fell asleep again. Then, he spotted Albus's letter; Petunia recognized the seal on it, and she snatched it before the man could see it.

She broke the seal and read the letter.

'I can't keep that freak here! I have a son to protect!' Petunia squealed.

'You should call the police and let them take care of that baby,' the man declared.

'NO!' she shouted. Then she panicked because she didn't want to attract her neighbours' attention.

The man had been quite civil up to then, but Petunia's reaction was making him wary of her. 'That baby must be protected,' he snapped.

'Listen, Mister, that thing is my sister's sin, and she and her husband have just been killed by a criminal of some sort, and I want nothing to do with their kind. Now, leave, or I'll have to call my husband, and he'll make you go," she spat.

'Madam, I will go nowhere until I'm sure that this child is going to be safe,' he retorted.

'Fine!' she hissed. 'Then the monster is all yours!'

With those words, Petunia Dursley closed the door. She burnt Albus's letter. She would never see her nephew ever again.

The instant Petunia gave Harry to his Muggle saviour, the man shivered.

Holding the basket gently, the man was walking back to his car. 'I'll have to figure out a way to take care of you, little one,' he said. 'Good thing for you that I know enough people to survive the red tape. Now let's hope that they won't find me too old to take care of you! But I swear to protect you.'

'Would you really protect him?' Minerva asked very softly as she came out of the shadows.

The Muggle turned the basket away to shield Harry with his body.

Minerva beamed at him and said, 'You need nothing to protect this child. He's a wizard, and his aunt surrendered her link with him to you.'

The man looked at Minerva's robes and said as if it were the most common thing in the world, 'You're a witch.'

'Professor Minerva McGonagall, at your service,' she said, a warm smile gracing her lips. 'There is magic in you, otherwise the Emergency linking spell wouldn't have activated,' she pointed out.

'Mother is a Squib,' he admitted, a bit stunned because his contacts with magic had been quite limited.

'You're holding your ward, Harry James Potter. The poor lamb lost his parents today,' she said.

'Will you tell me what happened to him once I've treated the nasty cut young Harry got there,' he said.

'It's a magical cut. There's nothing you could do, even with a medical degree,' Minerva said.

'I have a medical degree, Professor McGonagall. I'm Dr Donald Mallard, currently Medical Examiner for the NIS,' he said, bowing.

Minerva looked completely puzzled. 'I don't understand what you said, I'm sorry,' she apologized.

'Then I shall have to explain,' he said.

'Thank you, Dr Mallard.'

'My friends call me Ducky,' he said.

Minerva tilted her head and asked, 'Pardon my curiosity, but are you from Scotland?'

Ducky beamed at her and started telling her the story of his family. He stopped when they reached his broken car.

'Would you put a spell on my car in order for us to be able to leave this horrible place?' Ducky asked innocently.

Minerva chuckled and said, 'I'm afraid magic doesn't get along too well with Muggle objects – and we don't want to attract the Ministry of Magic here. I can however transport us somewhere if you give me directions.'

Ducky looked sadly at his car, convinced that he'd have to come back for it. Minerva took her wand and reduced the car to the size of a very small toy, and then she picked it up.

'Where shall we go?' Minerva asked as she placed the car next to Harry in the basket.

'I have a flat in Richmond, on Queen's Road,' he said.

'Visualize the place, and hold my hand,' she said.

He obeyed and was brought directly inside his place, miles away from where he was a second before. His non-magical education was telling him that this was impossible – and yet, here he was.

'That was Apparition,' Minerva explained. She picked up the car and asked, 'Where shall I put it to restore it to its original size?'

'Just outside,' Ducky said, a bit stunned.

She opened the window, made the car float down and reversed her spell.

Harry gurgled in his sleep.

Ducky beamed at his ward; then he realized that he had nothing with which to take care of a baby and would have to go shopping first thing in the morning.

'Professor McGonagall,' he began to say.

'Minerva,' she interrupted him.

He smiled and put Harry's basket gently down on a table. 'Minerva, if young Harry wakes up before the shops open tomorrow morning I have nothing for him,' he declared.

'Right… things you'll need for a baby,' she said pensively.

She flicked her wand, and everything Ducky would need for Harry appeared out of thin air.

Ducky looked around and gaped. 'You are fantastic, my Dear,' he whispered with admiration in his voice.

'I'm glad to help you take care of Harry. In just the few minutes that you've known him, you've shown him more kindness than even his own blood relatives,' she pointed out.

Ducky looked fondly at Harry and asked, 'Can I really take care of him? Won't his aunt come to her senses? What about wizards or witches in his family? What's going to happen when I have to go back to work in Washington?'

'He is _your_ ward. He has no one but you… and me. He has no Wizarding family left, and his only Muggle relative surrendered him to you, a virtual stranger. His papers should be under his pillow,' she said.

Ducky lovingly put Harry in the bed Minerva had made for him, and he checked beneath Harry's pillow. There were parchments that stated that Ducky was officially Harry's guardian.

Minerva looked at them and said, 'Muggle officers of the law should acknowledge those.'

'I hope you're right,' he said with a deep sigh. 'I'll put the kettle on, and you can tell me what happened to our poor boy. I must say I'd be grateful for any suggestion to help him.'

Minerva nodded.

They watched Harry sleep quietly as they sipped Earl Grey and as Ducky got a crash course about the English magical community.

Minerva told him everything about the civil war that was raging in their world, a war led by the demented Lord Voldemort. She explained what the resistance – the Order of the Phoenix – was doing. She said that there was a Prophecy about Harry, and that his parents, the late James and Lily, had gone into hiding in order to try to protect their baby. Minerva cried when she explained that no one should have been able to find them if Sirius Black – the Potters' best friend and Harry's own godfather – hadn't betrayed them to the Dark Lord.

Ducky told her that most of his mother's family had stopped seeing her when she had to go to a Muggle school because her magical powers never developed. He asked Minerva many questions about the world that was Harry's, and she clarified as many things as possible.

The sun was rising when Minerva put a spell on a penny she'd borrowed from Ducky. 'When you need help with something magical, or when Harry shows his first sign of magic, put the coin in your left hand, tap it three times and say my name aloud. I'll Apparate to you as fast as possible,' she promised.

'Will you really help me do what's best for Harry?' he whispered.

She nodded once.

'Thank you, Minerva. I want to protect that child – God knows why – but I'm not qualified to help a baby _wizard_,' he said, obviously deeply moved.

'Will it be too much for you?' she wondered.

Instantly he shook his head. 'I can't explain why, but I want him, Minerva. I'm grateful that you're a part of the adventure. I fear mother won't know enough to prepare him for school,' he said.

'He'll be taught what he needs when he goes to Hogwarts. Now, he needs to be somewhere safe, somewhere he'll be loved,' she said.

'That I can do,' he said. He paused and looked at her, 'My work doesn't allow me to meet many women, and I'd almost abandoned the hope of ever having a family. Now, I have Harry. I want to take care of him and watch him grow up. I'll tell him about his parents, and I hope you'll come visit us when he's old enough to hear more about them. I know he'll be more than just a ward.'

'Of course.'

There was something in her voice that surprised him. 'Minerva?'

'His aunt is a complete Muggle. You are the son of a Squib. And yet you did _magic_ to protect him. You're the best thing that has happened to this child today,' she declared.

Ducky blushed.

'I'll bring Harry back home with me, but I think I'll sell this flat and try to find a house in Scotland. It would be good if Mother and I were near Hogwarts when Harry's on holiday,' he said.

Minerva grinned like the Cheshire-Cat. She was happy that Ducky's car broke down when it did and that he'd fallen for the orphaned Harry on the spot.

'I'll have to try to contact some witches or wizards in D.C.,' he said. 'Would you know how young children are taught on my side of the pond? I could always come back here if young Harry doesn't adapt to American life – after all, I have enough former fellows to come back here, even if Mother would be disappointed to have to face Scottish winters again.'

Minerva was growing quite fond of her new friend's energy. She smiled and said, 'I hear children are tutored at home by newly certified wizards or witches who volunteer when one of the parents cannot do so. I have cousins who moved to Salem last century; if you want I'll contact them, and I'll ask them what you should do when Harry shows signs of magic.'

Ducky accepted gladly. He really wanted the best for Harry.

'Going back home is going to be quite an expedition,' Ducky pointed out as he looked at what Minerva had given him for Harry.

Something occurred to Minerva and she asked, 'I have an idea. Would you accept another gift – a live one actually?'

'What do you have in mind?' he wondered.

'Do you know what a house-elf is?'

Ducky shook his head. 'I've never heard of those,' he admitted.

'They're very powerful creatures. I think I might be able to convince one of the ones working at Hogwarts to come and help you with Harry. Maybe it could even stay with you until it's time for Harry to enter Hogwarts,' she said.

'Would it be possible? Could a house-elf work without having a witch or a wizard around? Could I compensate such a creature?' he asked.

Minerva smiled and said, 'I'll Apparate to Hogwarts, and I'll ask for a volunteer.'

When she disappeared, the loud sound of Disapparition woke Harry up. Ducky took the baby in his arms, and then balanced him on his left arm as he prepared a bottle for his ward.

When Harry's meal was ready, Ducky settled on his sofa and watched Harry.

'In spite of what Mistress Minerva says, I'll try to heal that cut on your head, or you'll end up with a nasty scar, my boy,' he said.

Harry gurgled happily. One day he would understand just how lucky he'd been that Dr Mallard found him, but right then, the baby was enjoying Ducky's warmth – as well as the love already radiating from him.

Ducky started one of his tales, saying, 'I remember the time…'

The story was far from being finished – but the bottle was – when Minerva came back with a small creature that was dressed in what looked like a tablecloth.

'Kitty agreed to help you,' Minerva announced.

Ducky was blinking at Kitty.

'Squib Doctor Ducky are in shock?' Kitty asked Minerva in a whisper.

Minerva chuckled and shook her head. 'He's surprised to meet you. Ducky, allow me to introduce you to Kitty. She's one of the house-elves who work at Hogwarts,' she said.

Kitty curtseyed.

Ducky bowed respectfully and said, 'It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kitty.'

Kitty's huge pointed ears flapped with surprise and delight. 'I are just _Kitty_, Master Squib Doctor Ducky,' she protested.

'If you're just Kitty, my dear, then I'm just Ducky. All right?' he asked.

Kitty blushed and said, 'All right, Master Ducky.'

Ducky looked at Minerva.

'I think this is the best you'll get. You see, house-elves need a master to obey,' she explained. Then, she proceeded to tell him what he needed to know about house-elves, how they talked, and why they dressed in anything but real clothes to remain bound to their masters.

'What should I pay you, Kitty?' he asked her.

The house-elf blushed again and her ears flapped madly.

'You don't pay house-elves,' Minerva said.

Ducky tilted his head and asked Kitty, 'Would you accept gifts every once in a while?'

'Master Ducky?'

'You see, Kitty. I don't have magic, but I'd like to thank you for your help. If I can't give you new clothes, maybe I could give you nicer tablecloths or trinkets,' Ducky said.

Ears still flapping, Kitty said, 'Master Ducky are too good. Master Dumbledore were a good master, but Master Squib Doctor Ducky are more good!'

Ducky smiled at her very kindly.

Kitty was so embarrassed that she started casting magic on Harry's possessions and reducing their size for transport.

'As you can see she has enough power to help you. She'll pack everything for you in a few minutes, and she can help you and Harry travel anywhere in a moment,' Minerva explained.

'Won't she be missed at Hogwarts?' Ducky wondered.

'We have dozens of house-elves there, and she's only a temporary loan. When Harry is sorted, Kitty will come back to Hogwarts,' Minerva said.

Ducky took a deep breath and smiled at his new – human – friend. 'I'll have to find something with which to thank you, as well,' he told Minerva.

'Take good care of Harry,' Minerva said.

'That is not enough,' Ducky protested.

'Then let me spoil Harry as if he were a relative,' she suggested, a warm smile gracing her lips.

'Can you Apparate to the US, or would you have to take a magical plane? You're welcome to come and visit us any time you want. I'm sure Mother would be thrilled to chat with you. Maybe Kitty could help you come to our side of the world,' Ducky said.

'A _plane_? One of those flying Muggle boxes?' Minerva said. She shook her head and said, 'I don't need those. I can travel with magic. If I were to feel too tired to Apparate, I could take a Portkey.'

Ducky chuckled and declared, 'We'll have to talk about our worlds some day, my Dear.'

Minerva smiled.

'You know, it is too early for me to phone Mother, but I could call her later and tell her about Harry… and you. Would you come with us? Merely to check that everything's fine for Harry,' Ducky said.

'Master Ducky and Master Harry will can travel in a few minutes. Mistress Minerva will can travel with us. Mistress Mallard will can be told everything over breakfast,' Kitty said.

Ducky took to blinking again. Minerva looked at him and shrugged.

Kitty reduced the size of Ducky's car again and brought it inside to be packed with the rest of her new master's belongings. Within twenty minutes she announced, 'Are Master Ducky ready to go?'

Ducky could have stayed for a few more days, but now that he had Harry in his life, settling the little one down in his new home was Ducky's priority. He nodded at his house-elf.

'Are Mistress Minerva ready to go?' Kitty asked.

Minerva looked at Ducky, who smiled.

'Ready,' Minerva said.

'Where do Master Ducky want Kitty to take them?' she asked.

'Choose a quiet room in the house,' Minerva suggested him.

'The garage,' he answered.

Ducky took Harry in his arms and was focussing on him when Kitty's magic transported them into a suburb of Washington, D.C., into the garage of a nice house.

Kitty was reversing her spell on the car when two men barged into the room, weapons drawn.

'For God's sake, Mike! It's me, Ducky!' he exclaimed loudly, startling Harry a bit.

'How did you get in here in the middle of the night?' the man named Mike inquired.

'This is my house,' Ducky growled. 'May I know what you're doing here? And point that gun away from Harry!'

Mike Franks, Special Agent of the NIS, put his gun in its holster and said, 'Sorry, Ducky. This is Sergeant Gibbs, your new neighbour. Your mother was afraid because there have been a few burglaries in the neighbourhood, and we agreed to protect her.'

'Why didn't she tell me she was afraid?!' Ducky growled.

'Because she knew where to find me,' Mike joked.

'Mike, Sergeant Gibbs, I'd like you to meet my ward, Harry Potter, and the lady who helped me rescue him, Professor McGonagall,' Ducky said.

'You're the best parent that kid could hope for. Let's go to the kitchen. Then you can tell us what happened over a drink or something,' Mike said.

'Can Kitty transform things for Master Harry?' Kitty asked.

'Yes,' Ducky answered his house-elf.

Mike and Gibbs didn't notice the little magical creature.

'They can't see her,' Minerva whispered in Ducky's ear.

'I should wake Mother up,' Ducky said.

'I'll put the kettle on if you want,' Minerva offered.

'I'm not sure that'd be such a good idea, my Dear,' Ducky pointed out with a warm chuckle, which reminded her that she couldn't use magic on his Muggle appliances.

'I think we're going to need some scotch,' Mike declared.

'Indeed!' Minerva exclaimed. With that, she won over the two Muggle men as allies on the spot.

They went to the kitchen, and Mike retrieved a bottle of Scotch whiskey from a cabinet while the others all sat around the wooden table that belonged – like all the pieces of furniture in the house – to Mrs Mallard, and which wouldn't have been out of place in a museum or a very elegant antiques store. Mike brought glasses to the table and poured a generous amount into each one.

'Cheers!' said the two Americans.

'Slainthe!' said Ducky and Minerva.

'Great! Another Scot!' Mike joked, adding a wink at Minerva for good measure.

'Is your son hungry, or does he need anything?' Sergeant Gibbs asked Ducky very kindly.

'The poor lad is my protégé. Though he's an orphan, I'll raise him to remember he's a Potter, not a Mallard,' Ducky declared solemnly. 'Young Harry must grow up knowing how good his mum and dad were, and my love for him mustn't take that from him.'

'What happened? And how did you get here in the middle of the night?' Mike wondered.

'Give me one moment to wake Mother. I don't fancy telling my story twice,' Ducky said.

Minerva whispered, 'And I don't fancy having to cast a Memory-charm twice if they react negatively.'

Ducky stood up and took Harry to Minerva. 'Would you mind holding him?' he asked.

'Not at all,' she said.

When Harry was settled in her arms, Ducky ran upstairs to his mother's room. On the landing, he met Kitty, who was coming out of a room that he didn't remember ever seeing. He didn't think he was hallucinating and asked, 'Did you make that room for Harry?'

'Yes, Master Ducky. Next to your room,' she answered.

'Perfect!' he said with so much warmth in his voice that she blushed. 'Now, would you follow me? I need to tell Mother about our young charge.'

Kitty nodded and followed her chosen master.

In the kitchen, the two men were observing Minerva. Mike was thinking that Ducky's taste in women was quite varied; Gibbs was finding her a bit clumsy with the young boy – he was not the best expert, but his little Kelly didn't seem to complain about the way he held her, and by his estimation, the baby boy in the arms of Ducky's new friend was about his daughter's age.

'Permission to speak, Ma'am?' Gibbs asked.

She nodded.

'You look uncomfortable holding that baby,' he declared.

She sighed sadly and said, 'He's the first child I've held in quite a long time – I don't have children of my own, you see. Besides, I know his parents well – I mean I knew them, and it breaks my heart that he can't grow up with them.'

'I'm deeply sorry for your loss, Ma'am,' Gibbs said gently. Minerva gave him a small smile for his kindness. 'Would you like me to hold him, Ma'am? My wife trusts me with our Kelly,' he said.

Minerva knew that she wasn't holding Harry properly; therefore she surrendered him to Gibbs for Harry's comfort.

Gibbs, who up to then had almost been the stereotype of a Marine Gunnery Sergeant, transformed in the wink of an eye and made faces at Harry, who gurgled with joy.

'Cute kid,' Mike said.

'Do you have children?' Minerva asked him.

'Not that I know of,' he answered.

His voice was a bit sad; Minerva decided to change the topic. 'Is Mrs Mallard as nice as Ducky?'

'She's a lady,' Gibbs declared fondly.

'A bit eccentric, but then we know where Ducky got his weirdness!' Mike joked.

Mike proceeded to tell Minerva how he'd met Ducky, and how smoothly they worked together to bring justice to those who couldn't speak for themselves. He was telling her how he'd met Gibbs by chance while working on a case, and how the young man had helped him catch a murderer, when Mike and Minerva noticed that Harry was fast asleep in a beaming Gibbs's arms.

'You're grinning like a lunatic, Gibbs,' Mike teased him.

'This kid has something special. When I hold Kelly, she makes me feel like life is a sunny day. I've held a few other kids, but it never was the same. I thought that was because she's my baby, but this kid makes me feel as if there's hope for our future,' Gibbs explained.

'I'll tell Shannon that you get sappy when you're sleep deprived,' Mike teased his young friend.

Gibbs meant to glare at the other man, but the vibes he was getting from Harry prevented him from doing so.

'There might be another explanation,' Minerva said cryptically. 'I'll tell you what I think when Ducky gets back.'

Mike took one of Harry's tiny hands in his and smiled. 'I see what you mean,' he told Gibbs.

Minerva hoped that Ducky's friends could really feel magic – and would agree to keep Harry's secret. If not, she had her wand ready to cast a powerful Memory-charm on them.

The more Gibbs talked about his daughter, the more Minerva was convinced that the baby was a first generation witch.

As if the stars were observing them all and helping them, someone knocked on the door. 'Jethro, Mike,' a woman's voice called softly.

'Come in and join us, Shannon,' Mike invited Mrs Gibbs.

Shannon Gibbs looked so much like Lily Potter that Minerva gasped involuntarily. The witch looked so pale that Shannon rushed to her; Shannon had her daughter in her arms.

'What's wrong?' Shannon asked Minerva worriedly. 'You look as if you've seen a ghost!'

'Almost,' Minerva nearly sobbed. 'You look so much like Harry's Mum that it's disturbing.'

Shannon looked at the sleeping baby in her husband's arms and asked, 'What happened to his mum?'

'She and her husband were killed a few hours ago,' Minerva said, one tear rolling down her right cheek. 'Ducky probably saved him when he rescued Harry.'

Mike poured more scotch into Minerva's glass, and she drank it thankfully.

'Poor sweetheart,' Shannon said sadly. 'Maybe Kelly felt there was something strange going on. She woke me and kept pointing towards here.'

Minerva had dried her tears, and she hoped with all her heart that Harry would grow up with that little witch for a neighbour.

Ducky knocked on his mother's door and walked into the room, not waiting for an answer. He knelt next to her bed and whispered, 'Mother, wake up, please.'

'Donald!' she exclaimed as she sat up abruptly.

He flinched, ready to be given an earful, but Mrs Mallard saw Kitty and she squeaked.

'Donald! There's a house-elf in our house!' she exclaimed.

'I know, Mother. There's a war raging back at home, and I rescued a baby wizard whose parents were killed by a Lord Voldemort. Kitty agreed to help us until Harry goes to Hogwarts. The child is in the kitchen with Mike and our new neighbour and Professor Minerva McGonagall from Hogwarts,' he said very fast, hoping that his mother was awake enough to understand everything he said.

'We have a witch in the kitchen?!' Mrs Mallard asked joyfully.

Then and there, Ducky understood how hurt his mother must have been to never have developed magical powers.

He nodded.

'And we can take care of that baby wizard legally?' she asked, getting up and putting on a dressing gown.

'Minerva said I activated an Emergency Linking spell. Harry is ours to love,' he said.

Mrs Mallard framed her son's face with her old hands and was obviously deeply moved when she said, 'You would have been a splendid wizard, Donald. I'm sorry I didn't give you enough magic.'

He took her hands in his and said, 'You gave me enough magic to rescue Harry.'

'Yet, that are unusual,' Kitty pointed out.

'What do you think it means?' Mrs Mallard asked Kitty, as if it were normal to find a magical creature in one's bedroom in the middle of the night.

'Kitty can tell Mistress Mrs Mallard more when Kitty are back where Master Harry is,' the house-elf said.

'Lead the way, Kitty!' Mrs Mallard said. She turned to her son and asked, 'What's the name of your ward?'

'Harry James Potter.'

'Potter. The name rings a bell,' Mrs Mallard said.

They rushed to the kitchen.

There, Minerva was just attempting to explain Kelly's reaction. 'I think I know why your daughter managed to get you to come here,' Minerva said.

Shannon was about to ask why, but she saw Kitty and gaped.

'What's that?' Gibbs asked as he noticed Kitty, too.

'What's what?' Mike wondered.

Kelly placed one hand on Mike's cheek, and then he saw Kitty, as well.

'Allow me to introduce you to Kitty. She's a house-elf. You can see her because Kelly is a witch, and Harry is a wizard,' Mrs Mallard explained.

The three Muggles who didn't know about magic were in for a long night.

Minerva and Mrs Mallard told the Gibbses and Mike the basic facts about magic. The witch and the Squib weren't sure where Kelly would go to school because they didn't know how the magical school system worked in the US.

Gibbs sighed deeply.

'Do you have a problem with Kelly being a witch?' his wife asked.

He shook his head and explained, 'Until I see her show signs of magic – and in spite of the fact that I can see a house-elf – I know I won't really believe it. What frightens me is our future as a family. What if I'm assigned to a base where she can't go to a magical school? I'm not sure I'm ready to agree to send her to a boarding school.'

'You have time to get ready,' Minerva pointed out.

'Jethro will never be ready to let his princess go,' Shannon joked.

Gibbs glared at his wife; she pecked his cheek.

'You should consider my offer, Gibbs. We need men like you at the NIS,' Mike said.

Gibbs looked at his daughter, then at his wife, who nodded, and then at Mike. Gibbs nodded once.

'Excellent, _Probie_! You won't regret it,' Mike said, grinning widely.

Kelly giggled.

'When Kelly – and Harry, since he's going to grow up here – shows signs of magic, you should be contacted by tutors. Before Apparating back to London, I'll go and see my cousins in Salem. If they agree to contact you, you shouldn't be surprised to see a bird deliver a letter,' Minerva told them.

'Thank you!' Mrs Mallard said warmly. 'You'll always be welcome here, and you can Apparate as often as you want. Our Harry will need to know about his family and about his world.'

'I don't want to intrude,' Minerva protested.

'You're part of the adventure, Lady,' Mike pointed out.

'I'm a Squib, Minerva. I can tell Harry what it was like to grow up in a Wizarding household, but I can never show him how to cast a charm, how to fly, or how to brew a potion,' Mrs Mallard explained sadly.

Minerva took a very deep breath and said, 'I'll help.'

'Since we might end up keeping the house next door and not moving to yet another base, you're welcome to visit us, as well,' Shannon told Minerva.

'That's very kind of you,' Minerva answered.

'These kids are going to grow up almost as cousins,' Mike said with a happy grin.

'That are it!' Kitty exclaimed.

'Yes, Kitty?' Ducky inquired.

'Seven generations ago, the Potters and the Mallards was cousins. Master Ducky rescued a kin,' Kitty explained.

'Fascinating,' Ducky said.

'My friend, it's close to a _miracle_,' Mike said.

'Are you sure the people with that Lord-thingy won't try something against Harry? Are there things that _we_ could do?' Gibbs asked Minerva.

'No need for that, Master Leroy, Kitty will can protect Master Harry,' Kitty said before Minerva could answer.

'Kitty has more power than any Death Eater,' Minerva said. 'And how many names do you have?'

'Leroy's my first name, but I prefer my second,' he explained.

Mike snorted and spat, '_Death Eater_! What a pretentious name!'

'Tom Riddle was always an arrogant brat,' Minerva declared. They all blinked at that. 'That's Voldemort's real name.'

'Pompous idiot,' growled Shannon.

'But what if those people send another house-elf to hurt Harry? I'll be blunt, can your magic stop bullets?' Gibbs asked.

'Witches and wizards can be injured by Muggle weapons,' Mrs Mallard said.

'Until Master Harry pass his N.E.W.Ts, he are protected by the Emergency Linking spell. Whatever protection Master Dumbledore had in mind, thanks to Master Harry's Muggle aunt, will must has been transferred to Master Ducky,' Kitty said.

'Newts?' Shannon asked.

'Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test, the seventh year exam. Our students pass their O.W.Ls, Ordinary Wizarding Levels, in their fifth,' Minerva said.

'Interesting names,' Shannon said.

'So there are _emergency_ spells,' Mike told Minerva.

'Yes, there are a few, and this one is quite powerful. The fact that Ducky's remotely related must have transferred whatever protection Albus thought blood relation would provide. There's a spell I can cast to check the level of protection around Harry,' Minerva said.

'That would be wise,' Gibbs declared.

Minerva took her wand and started chanting a spell. Kitty snatched Minerva's wand from her hand when she spotted all around Minerva particles of light that were part of Harry's Protection spell.

Gibbs and Mike were surprised that Kitty could move so fast.

'Well, thank you, Kitty! Now we know that no one can go through Harry's Protection,' Minerva said.

'Mistress Minerva would has been splinched all over the state,' Kitty said. 'Mistress Minerva should tries to cast a neutral spell though,' she suggested as she gave Minerva her wand back.

'Good idea, my dear,' the witch said. She flicked her wand and said, 'Wingardium leviosa.'

Her glass started floating in the air.

'I need another drink,' Mike said as he grabbed the bottle of scotch.

'Don't forget my glass!' Gibbs said.

'Great!' Shannon exclaimed.

Kelly babbled happily and tried to reach out for the floating glass even though it was too far from her.

'She can feel the magic,' Minerva said fondly.

'We'll need you here, Professor,' Shannon almost begged. 'There's so much we need to learn.'

'Call me Minerva, for Merlin's sake!' she exclaimed.

'Bet it'll be Aunt Minnie before the kids are five!' Mike said.

Minerva was so surprised that she blinked.

'Aunt _Minerva_ sounds better,' Shannon corrected him.

'We know that no one can hurt Harry before he's a certified wizard, and you can do simple magic. What about something a tad more complicated?' suggested Mrs Mallard.

Harry was waking up in Gibbs's arms, and he blinked at his new protectors.

'I know something that the children will love,' Minerva declared.

She transformed into her Animagus form and jumped onto the table.

'Scotch,' Gibbs told Mike. 'A lot more!'

The tabby cat walked closer to Harry, and the baby petted her clumsily. Minerva walked near Shannon, too, and the baby witch squealed with delight.

Minerva transformed back.

'You're gifted!' Mrs Mallard said with awe.

'I'm just Hogwarts's Transfiguration teacher,' Minerva protested.

'My mama used to say that it's not every witch or wizard who can become an Animagus,' Mrs Mallard countered her.

'I must say it's impressive,' Gibbs said.

'I have the feeling that things are taking shape here,' Mike said. 'Harry was rescued, and we can protect him, Kelly is going to discover more about her future life, and I get a new trainee!'

The first rays of light came through the window.

'A new day begins,' Shannon said dreamily.

'It's our second dawn in a day, my Dear,' Ducky told Minerva.

'Yesterday was a sad day, let's hope that Harry's life is going to be somewhat quieter for a few years,' Minerva said.

'Masters and Mistresses has better get some rest for a few hours. Kitty will can take care of Master Harry and Mistress Kelly,' the faithful elf suggested.

'Kelly needs a nap herself,' Shannon pointed out.

'As Mistress Shannon wishes,' Kitty said.

'I'll go prepare the guest room for Minerva,' Mrs Mallard said.

Kitty snapped her fingers and declared, 'Done, Mistress Mallard.'

'Thank you, Kitty!' the old lady said gratefully. 'I think we all need a few more hours of sleep.'

'You can stay with us, Mike. I'm sure you'll have thousands of things to plan with Jethro,' Shannon said.

'I don't fancy driving after killing Ducky's bottle of scotch,' Mike admitted.

The three Gibbses and Mike retreated next door for a few hours. They were invited for lunch.

Mrs Mallard went to visit the nursery with Kitty, who was carrying Harry. Kitty started playing with Harry while Mrs Mallard went back to bed.

Ducky showed Minerva to the guest room.

'I'm just next door if you need me,' Ducky told her.

'Thank you. And thank you for everything you're doing for Harry. Wherever they are, Lily and James must be relieved that their boy is with someone who will love him,' she said.

'Speaking of love, I'm a pitiful doctor. I know you said I could do nothing, but I'll go put something on Harry's cut anyway,' he said.

'Ask Kitty to help you, she might know a form of magic that might work,' Minerva said.

Ducky took her hand and kissed it. 'Thank you. I _need_ to try, my Dear,' he said.

She blushed as she said, 'You're a good man, Donald.'

He blushed in his turn, bowed, and then left as he said, 'Sweet dreams!'

'Sweet dreams to you, too.'

Ducky, with Kitty's help, managed to seal and heal the magical cut. It left a trace so faint that the scar would only appear when Harry got a tan – if at all.

Ducky didn't turn the light on when he went to his room. He undressed completely and decided he'd look for pyjamas in the "morning".

'What the hell?!' he almost shouted when he realized that he wasn't alone in his bed.

'What are you doing in my room?' Minerva asked.

'It's _my_ room!' he answered.

'That damned house-elf must be playing match-maker. I'm afraid she merged both rooms,' Minerva explained.

'I'll go…' Ducky began to say.

She interrupted him and said, 'I can hex on you in my sleep if need be, and we're both adults, who are no longer that young, and we need our sleep. Get in bed this instant, and face my wrath if you snore!'

Ducky chuckled and obeyed.

Kitty's ears were flapping with joy when she came in to wake them up hours later, and she found them, _both_ naked, asleep in each other's arms.

That day was a beginning in many ways.

(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	2. Chapter 2

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've almost finished writing this story (over 130 pages already!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

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Minerva contacted her long lost cousins, and they Apparated to the Mallards' to explain how schooling worked in this country.

Gibbs became an NIS agent, which delighted Shannon. The job could be dangerous, but now their family wouldn't have to move every other year until Jethro retired.

Kitty and Mrs Mallard took care of Harry when Ducky went to work.

Minerva visited as often as possible.

Back home, no one knew that Harry Potter was no longer in the country – no one except Albus Dumbledore, whose spy in Little Whinging had told him that the only baby at the Dursleys' was their own brat. Dumbledore cast a spell that showed that Lily's protection was still working for Harry, which was all he wanted. When Harry was of age to go to Hogwarts, then the school book would tell him where to send the letter for the Boy-Who-Lived – Dumbledore could wait.

Life was fairly normal until Harry and Kelly showed signs of magic. They both cast a spell to protect Shannon.

The Gibbses and the Mallards hadn't wanted to frighten the children, who had recently turned six, but Shannon had witnessed a murder. One day as she was shopping late, she saw a man shoot another one; it turned out that a Mexican drug dealer had murdered an FBI agent in cold blood, and Shannon's testimony was the only thing that could send the dealer to jail.

The dealer had found out where Shannon lived and was about to kill her when Kelly and Harry noticed the stranger with a gun. The dealer was aiming at Shannon when the children instinctively cast a spell that froze the criminal. The children had put a lot of strength into the spell, and the dealer fell down and broke flower pots.

'Go out the back door, and run to Nana Mallard's!' Shannon told Kelly and Harry.

'Mum!'

'Aunt Shannon!'

The children were protesting loudly.

Shannon resorted to the only "spell" she knew that would make the children obey and go to safety. '_Semper fi_! Run to Nana, and tell her to call the police!' It was a good thing that Gibbs had repeatedly told both Kelly and Harry how important those two words were to the Marines.

Shannon was planning to take the dealer's weapon and aim it at him until an officer of the law arrived. Truth be told, she was ready to shoot the man if need be.

Harry had taken Kelly's hand and was ready to obey the woman he loved like an aunt when there was a loud pop that announced Apparition. Shannon and the children thought that Minerva was coming to their rescue – even though it was somewhat improbable for her to have felt that she was needed in Washington.

Two men, dressed like Muggles, were aiming their wands at the dealer. One of them was shaking, and he looked positively furious.

'Easy, boss! We must take care of the kids first,' said the other one, who was younger. He turned to Shannon and said, 'Do not worry, Ma'am. We're here to explain what your daughter and your young neighbour did. We have the pleasure and honour to tell you that your daughter can do magic.'

Shannon Gibbs stole the young man's thunder when she said, 'I may be a Muggle, but I know that Kelly's a witch. Harry's a wizard, I know that, too.'

Mrs Mallard was Apparated to the Gibbses' backyard by, and with, Kitty.

'Aurors!' Mrs Mallard exclaimed.

The younger of the two could feel that the old lady was a Squib, and yet she had a house-elf to serve her – which, by law, should not normally be possible in D.C. He was beginning to be too puzzled.

'Master Harry and Mistress Kelly showed their first signs of magic,' Kitty declared, her ears flapping excitedly.

'These kids immobilized the dog who killed my agent!' the other Auror spat.

'How could that Muggle kill a wizard?' Harry asked with a small voice.

The older Auror looked at Harry for the first time, and he froze.

'What's wrong, boss?' his fellow asked kindly.

With a flick of his wand, the older Auror bound and gagged the drug dealer. He crouched near Harry and Kelly. 'You're Lily's son,' he said softly, looking at Harry.

'Did you know my mum?' Harry asked eagerly.

'She was in the Order team I met years ago. I taught her a few Defence spells,' he explained. 'You did a great job, Harry.' The Auror turned towards Kelly and added, 'And you, Miss, you will have a very sure aim.'

'Thank you, Sir,' Harry and Kelly said in synch.

'I'm Auror Fornell; I work for the FBI as well. That bad man hurt one of my Muggle agents,' Fornell told the children.

'Mum, why did that man try to hurt you?' Kelly asked.

Shannon didn't want to frighten the children. They'd all agreed that they were too young to be told about the impending trial.

'You can't always protect them. And today, they protected _you_,' the younger Auror told Shannon.

She took a deep breath and nodded. 'I'm going to testify against that man because I saw him commit a crime,' she told them.

Kelly and Harry reached out for each other's hands and then asked, 'What happens now?'

'Auror Eppes, you should Apparate to Miss Kelly's dad. Our primary goal here is to register the children's first signs of magic,' Fornell said. 'Contact Harry's Protector, too.'

'Boss!' the younger Auror protested.

One glare from his superior silenced Don Eppes.

'You'll find Jethro and Ducky at NIS,' Mrs Mallard said.

'They work with Mike Franks,' Shannon added.

'Ten bucks says Mike swears like a sailor when he discovers I'm an Auror, too,' Fornell said.

'Deal!' Shannon said.

Fornell shook hands with her as Eppes Disapparated to the NIS headquarters.

'I'll have this man sent to the Department of Magic in town,' Fornell said. 'You, ladies, should take the kids back inside; Eppes and I will give you a few guidelines for them, and we'll tell you when to expect their tutors.'

'It's tea time,' Mrs Mallard pointed out. 'Kitty has baked cakes. Let's go, children.' She included Shannon in that word. She turned to Fornell and added, 'We'll be expecting you in a minute, Auror Fornell. Tea shall be served on time.'

He nodded – something told him that he had better obey the old Squib.

He waited until they were all at the Mallards', and then he drew his wand to kill the criminal who'd killed his youngest Muggle agent.

Fornell never knew how the small creature did it, but Kitty grabbed his hand. 'It are tea time, Auror. It are Kitty's duty to clean up here,' the house-elf declared.

Fornell was unsure.

'It are Kitty's duty to protect Master Harry. That Muggle are a threat,' she said coldly.

'Tea?' Fornell asked.

Kitty pointed one long finger towards the Mallards' and said, 'Tea!'

The instant Fornell closed the door behind him, he felt a powerful spell that made him shiver with primal, raw fear. Then and there he understood that no one would ever find any trace of the dealer's remains.

In a wink of an eye, Kitty was in front of him, carrying a trey with small cakes, as if nothing had happened. She turned towards the Auror and said casually, 'He must have got lost in transit to your Department of Magic, I suppose.'

'Kitty!' he called her.

'Auror Fornell?'

'House-elves in this country are restricted to the area of Salem. Why did the Department never spot you?' he asked her.

She knew that he was merely curious and in no way a threat. 'Master Ducky are my temporary master. My first link are with Master Dumbledore at Hogwarts,' she explained.

'What would happen if Dumbledore gave you an order right now?' Fornell wondered.

'Kitty would does what's best for Master Harry,' she answered.

Fornell grinned.

'I met James Potter only once; Harry seems to have inherited a lot from his mother,' Fornell said fondly.

Kitty nodded several times and said, 'Mistress Lily were a delight. Kitty banged her head on the kitchen table when she heard what He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did to her and Master Potter.'

Abruptly Fornell stopped following her. 'Kitty?' he whispered.

'Auror Fornell?'

'Most wizards and witches here don't really care about what's going on in England because we don't see anything about it. Would you do something for me even though we don't belong to the same community?' he asked her.

'You liked teaching to Mistress Lily and want to help her only baby. What do Auror Fornell want?' Kitty asked.

'Contact me if things get nasty when Harry's older. If you need help to protect him, I'll lend you a hand. The _cleaning_ you did deserves a reward,' he said.

'Kitty go back to the Hogwarts kitchen when Master Harry go to school there,' Kitty protested.

Fornell leant very close to her ear and murmured, 'Right, and if you stop protecting that kid then, then I'm Morgana herself!'

Something passed in the elf's eyes and her grin was cruel. 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed Mistress Lily. He killed my son, too. He shall not touch Master Harry as long as Kitty are alive,' she declared. 'Auror Fornell understand the way of the house-elves.'

'I'll be on your side,' he said.

'Kitty will warn Auror Fornell if his help are requested,' she promised.

Kitty and Fornell joined Mrs Mallard and her guests in the parlour the instant Eppes Apparated with Gibbs, Ducky and Mike.

'Why did you invite Mike, too?' Fornell asked Eppes.

'He's our friend, and he wanted to make sure that the children were all right,' Ducky snapped. 'And may I inquire who you are?'

'Special Agent Franks knows me as Special Agent Fornell, FBI, but I serve the Department of Magic as an Auror,' he said, waiting for Mike to realize that he was a wizard and to start cussing.

Mike blinked, opened his mouth to swear profusely, looked at Mrs Mallard… and closed his mouth faster than you could say "glaring lady".

Fornell started blinking. Shannon laughed softly and held one hand out to get her ten dollars.

'I live with them,' she explained.

Fornell was forced to admit that she'd been logical.

'What happened to the dealer?' Gibbs asked Fornell in a whisper.

'I sent him to the Department of Magic. A potion will make him confess his crimes, and your wife won't have to testify against him. He's out for good,' Fornell declared with so much assurance that Gibbs believed him – even Eppes believed him.

'What happens to the kids now?' Shannon inquired.

'Their first use of magic was registered at the Department – and a copy of Harry's registration will be sent to the Ministry in London. Potential tutors are being contacted as we speak, and the ones whose magic is best compatible with both kids will contact you within a few days,' Fornell said.

'The tutors and you will be free to agree on the kind of tutoring you want the children to have,' Eppes added.

'Where's the nearest school for Kelly?' Gibbs asked worriedly.

'Morticia's Academy for Witches in Glover Park. They even have a Magico-bus that takes the witches to school and back home,' Fornell said.

'How old is your daughter?' Shannon asked him.

'Five, and yes, that's the Academy we chose. Morticia has a few bats in the attic, but she's an efficient headmistress,' Fornell said.

Eppes chuckled.

'What?' Gibbs asked.

'I went to school with her husband. He's the one who made me want to become an Auror,' Eppes explained.

'Why?' Mike asked in his turn.

'Gomez started taking fencing lessons when we were twelve. By the time we were eighteen, he was training on me, and he'd taken to smoking those Cuban magical cigars as we fought,' Eppes said. 'The smell of those _things_ was so foul that I learnt to Disapparate, duck and hex.'

'Why did you join the FBI, as well?' Ducky wondered.

'My little brother Charlie is a math genius,' Eppes paused and added softly, 'and he's a Squib. I wanted to be able to protect him without having to Memory-charm every Muggle around each time he needed me.'

'And it's very useful to have two jobs,' Fornell added.

Don Eppes ended up with the biggest piece of cake because Mrs Mallard was moved by the fact that he hadn't abandoned his Squib brother.

Gibbs knew that it would be a nice thing to do to change the topic that they knew was somewhat painful for Nana Mallard. 'That academy might be a good option for Kelly when it's time to send her to school,' he said.

'Won't we be contacted by Muggle schools in a few months? Kelly and Harry will be old enough to begin First grade then,' Shannon pointed out.

'The tutors will provide a home-schooling certificate,' Eppes explained.

'Tutor. Single form.'

They all turned towards the female voice who had spoken.

There was a young woman in the room with them. Neither the Aurors, nor the house-elf had felt her magic when she Apparated. She had to be extra special.

Kelly and Harry's tutor looked rather young. She was slim, not too tall, and rather pale with raven black hair in bunches. She wore military boots, a green mini-kilt, a white T-shirt – with the image of a red skull – that was at least one size too small, and a dog collar.

'Cool!' the children squealed happily, making the adults roll their eyes.

'Hi! I'm Abby Sciuto,' she said.

'Aren't you a bit young to have been named their tutor?' Eppes asked her.

Abby glared at him, which made Eppes flinch. 'My mentor declared me fit to share my knowledge. I've been a certified witch for two years, and I even graduated from a Muggle university last month,' she said.

'Where are you from, my dear child?' Mrs Mallard asked.

'New Orleans, Ma'am,' Abby answered.

'Oh! Wonderful place!' Mrs Mallard exclaimed.

Abby beamed at her.

'What did you read while at LSU?' Ducky asked.

'I majored in sociology, criminology and psychology,' she answered.

'You graduated with full honours, I'm sure,' Ducky said warmly. Abby winked at him.

'How did you know that she went to Louisiana State University? And how did you guess her grades?' Eppes wondered.

'Eppes, really!' Fornell growled at his fellow.

'What?!' Eppes exclaimed.

Fornell groaned.

'Bit slow for an Auror,' Abby teased him. He glared at her, but she went on, 'You'll have to keep in mind that in New Orleans, wizards and witches are all taught by mentors. They teach us everything we need to know to take our exams. We are a small community; most of us start magical research or learn more about the Muggles even before we take our final exams. We can't leave the state while we're being taught; therefore it was rather logical to consider I went to LSU.'

'A Squib beat you, kid!' Fornell told Eppes, who blushed deeply.

'I may be a _Muggle_, but I work for the NIS. I developed a few detective skills,' Ducky said.

'Understatement,' Mike coughed.

'My mentor's a criminalist!' Abby exclaimed. 'He worked as a coroner, too, while he taught me. He's going to California next, or maybe Nevada.'

'What's his name?' Gibbs inquired.

'Gil Grissom,' she answered.

'Holy…!' Mike started to say. His voice trailed off when Mrs Mallard glared at him.

The children giggled.

'Well, Miss Sciuto, if you want to come and work in our pretty lab, I'll be delighted to recommend you to our Director,' Mike said.

Abby swirled towards him and looked as if she were high on sugar – _very_ high. 'Would you?!' she squealed excitedly.

'Did Grissom train you in non-magical areas?' Mike asked her.

She grinned, bounced on her heels and said, 'He taught me everything. He calls me his little knowledge sponge.'

Mike pointed a thumb towards Fornell and told Abby, 'If he can be an FBI agent and an Auror, then I bet you can be a forensics expert for us and a witch.'

Abby was beaming.

'She are more than a witch,' Kitty murmured.

Abby noticed the house-elf for the first time; she gaped, but curtseyed to greet Kitty. Kitty bowed.

'Where's your first bond?' Abby asked Kitty.

'Kitty are a Hogwarts house-elf, Mistress Abigail,' she answered.

Abby crouched in front of Kitty and said, 'Just _Abby_.'

'Good luck with that!' Gibbs intervened with a merry chuckle. 'Our sweet Kitty keeps calling me by my first name.'

Abby looked at Gibbs and winked at him.

'Will Mistress Abby live here with us?' Kitty asked.

'I don't want to bother you. I'll go hunt for an apartment as soon as we agree on programmes for the kids,' Abby protested.

'Don't be silly, you're no bother. Our house is big, and we've got a nice spare room,' Shannon said.

'I can will prepare it for you if Master Leroy and Mistress Shannon agree,' Kitty said.

'If it's okay with you, I think it would be good for the kids to have you live with us,' Gibbs said.

'And I must say I'm curious about the power you have over our Kitty,' Ducky added.

Abby blushed and mumbled, 'I don't have any power over her. She knows.'

'What does she know?' Harry asked softly.

'Kitty said Abby's more than a witch,' Kelly pointed out.

'Are you a super witch?' Harry asked Abby innocently.

'Aww! No, angel. I've just got a bit of extra witching training,' Abby explained.

'Are you going to teach us spells and magic and everything?' Kelly asked eagerly.

'Are you?' Harry asked in his turn.

'I'm going to give you as much as I can, but there are many things you'll learn at school,' Abby said.

'Shall I prepares a room for Mistress Abby?' Kitty asked.

'I could park a magi-trailer in your back gardens,' Abby said. 'I like loud music, and I really don't want to bother you.'

'You'll be training for when the kids are teens,' Gibbs declared. 'Kitty, go do whatever you think Abby might need in our spare room.'

'But…' Abby began to protest.

'Why doesn't you let him decide?' Kitty asked Abby.

'Listen to Kitty, young girl, and obey,' Gibbs said with his best "Marine" voice.

Abby chuckled and said, 'Sorry, but she didn't mean I should let _you_ decide.'

'Who, then?' Mike inquired.

Abby opened her huge canvas handbag and a black kitten jumped out of it.

'MEOWWWW!'

'An Animagus?' Harry asked.

'No, a perfectly normal cat. How do you already know what an Animagus is?' Abby asked him.

'Aunt Minerva is a tabby cat,' Kelly explained.

Abby tilted her head and said, 'I thought you were a Muggle-born witch.'

'We share Aunt Minerva, but she's mine,' Harry explained.

Abby blinked and said, 'I'm glad to hear there's still one witch in your family.'

'Minerva is my son's companion,' Mrs Mallard declared.

Ducky was slightly blushing when he said, 'I can call her later if you wish to meet her. She's watching students who got detentions for two more hours.'

'I don't remember hearing about a Minerva teaching in this state and being an Animagus,' Abby said.

'Our aunt teaches at Hogwarts,' Kelly said proudly.

Abby, who was still crouching, sat on the floor.

Kitty put one hand on Abby's shoulder and asked, 'Are Mistress Abby all right?'

Abby hugged Kitty and pecked her cheek, which made the elf turn beetroot red. 'I didn't know that agreeing to tutor these kids would be so interesting. And now I discover that Professor McGonagall is in the mix. That's great!' she said.

'Do you know our aunt?' Harry inquired.

'I know her by reputation. Do you think she might agree to teach me how to become an Animagus?' Abby asked, looking at Ducky.

'I'll call her later, and then you can ask her, Abigail,' Ducky said.

The young tutor's cheeks turned pink.

All the others wondered why she didn't protest when he used her full name – then again, maybe it was part of Ducky's _magic_.

'MEOOWWWW!'

'I think your kitten wants a treat,' Eppes said.

'No, he wants to move into his new room,' Kelly declared.

Abby looked at Kelly strangely, and then turned to the girl's parents as she asked, 'May I start tutoring them right now?'

Gibbs and Shannon nodded; Ducky did, too.

Abby's wand appeared out of thin air, and she cast a spell around Kelly. 'If you develop your gift, you could become a true seer,' Abby told the girl.

'Can you help me do that?' Kelly asked.

Abby winked.

'MROOW!' the black kitten growled.

'Kitty, would you take my bag and my ball of fur to my new room?' she asked the house-elf. 'And, you, Severus, be quiet! We'll be staying here for five years.'

'Severus? What a strange name for a cat,' Mrs Mallard said.

'I don't know. It came to me,' Abby said.

'It could be much worse,' Harry said.

Abby grinned at him.

'Now, sit down on the sofa next to Shannon, my child, and have a cup of tea,' Mrs Mallard told Abby.

The tutor obeyed.

Fornell and Eppes left right after tea. They were deeply impressed by Abby, who had already planned a good half of what she wanted to do with he children until they went to their respective magical schools in five years.

Eppes noticed that his boss nodded at the house-elf once, just before they Disapparated and went back to the Department of Magic.

'Boss?' Eppes said softly.

'What, Don?' Fornell asked almost kindly.

'Is the situation that bad in the boy's country?' Eppes asked in his turn.

'You know a thing or two about Muggle history, don't you?' Fornell said. Eppes nodded. 'The Dark Lord they're fighting is a demented Hitler with quite a lot of magic and a clique of followers, who are power hungry. He wants to keep magic Pure and kill all those in our community who don't come from proper families – and kill off all Muggles. He disappeared after he killed Harry's parents and tried to kill him. Most wizards and witches over there are convinced that that Dark Lord was killed by Harry, but he can't be completely gone,' Fornell explained.

'So, you think the mad guy is going to come back to finish his work,' Eppes declared. It was Fornell's turn to nod. 'And you asked the elf to stay in touch with you,' Eppes concluded.

'A good Auror and a good agent,' Fornell said. One corner of his mouth was up.

'Boss,' Eppes said seriously, 'when Kitty calls you, I want to help. If that guy comes back, I want to protect those who can't fight with magic.'

Fornell nodded. 'You know, Don, I'm sure my Muggle wife would be delighted to invite you to lunch next weekend,' he said.

'Mrs Fornell doesn't have a sister or a cousin she'd like me to meet, does she?' Eppes asked warily. Fornell grinned and shook his head. 'I'll be honoured to meet your wife… and your little witch.'

'If, in the future, Joanna tries to introduce you to anyone, I'll understand it if you Disapparate,' Fornell said with a wink.

Eppes winked back.

They went back to their office to finish their work for Kelly Gibbs and Harry Potter.

By the time Kitty finally contacted them, Fornell had retired, and Eppes was the boss of his own teams for the FBI and the Auror Department in California.

Abby got used to her new life overnight, and even though she was very different from Mike, the Gibbses, Harry and the Mallards, she was truly adopted by her new friends.

Ducky was very happy to have the young Goth around – she was teaching Harry (and Kelly, whom he'd come to love as much as Harry) very well; she was making Mrs Mallard very happy because she was casting more spells than Kitty, and she had always potions brewing; she befriended Kitty, which made the faithful house-elf absolutely ecstatic, and last but not least, Minerva had taken to teaching Abby to become an Animagus, which allowed Ducky to spend much more time with his companion.

The threes Gibbses were quite fond of their new roommate. Shannon had found a little sister in the younger woman, and Kelly was turning into a mini-Abby – on the knowledge-sponge aspect, not the Goth one. Gibbs had started making one of his dreams come true: he was making a boat - and working on pieces of wood was making him tremendously happy. He worked on his boat with his daughter sometimes, and their resident certified witch had promised to put a spell on the boat to get it out of the basement when it was finished.

Mike was giving Gibbs books to pass on to Abby for her to be prepared to join the NIS one day. He must be conspiring with Grissom to train Abby to become an NIS Forensic Specialist as soon as she could slow down her tutoring of the children. Thanks to Grissom, Mike knew that tutoring the children would be intense during the first three years because Kelly and Harry needed to learn elementary magical things that they'd missed growing up as Muggles. Mike was planning to invite Abby to work part-time for the NIS as soon as possible.

Mike was beginning to think that retiring somewhere warm and quiet when the children went to school might be a good idea. Of course, he'd never tell his _probie_ that he already thought he'd be a great Special Agent in charge of his own team, but Mike trusted Gibbs to become a splendid _boss_ one day.

Abby was helping Kelly focus on her budding seer abilities – and it helped a lot that Abby had that gift, too. During a training session, the two girls felt that they had to work together with the rest of the family to plot something special for Harry's seventh birthday.

The evening the Gibbses announced that they'd spend their holidays in New Orleans, Harry thought that they'd all go together.

'Will we be there for my birthday, Uncle Ducky?' Harry asked just before dessert.

'No, we're planning something else, Harry,' Ducky said. It broke Ducky's heart to see Harry's beloved face fall – even for a few seconds. 'Do you trust your tutor and Kelly?' Ducky asked his ward.

'Did they make a prediction?' Harry asked eagerly. 'They're so cool it's scary sometimes!'

'You have a strange way of expressing yourself,' Mrs Mallard told Harry.

'Sorry, Nana,' the young apologized with a wide smile that made the old lady melt.

'You see, my dear Harry, your friend and your tutor declared that it would be important for you to visit your home country before you start attending Hogwarts. Kelly and her parents will stay with the Sciutos – apparently a bit of local tutoring is in store for your friend,' Ducky began to explain.

Harry interrupted him and exclaimed, 'That's why Aunt Abby put a spell on Uncle Jethro so that he can use sign language! Now he can talk with her parents.'

Abby's parents had been Aurors until a Dark spell had robbed them of their voices and had rendered them deaf, too. They could no longer be Aurors, but their magic had found other channels to allow them to keep practicing magic.

'Do not interrupt Donald!' Mrs Mallard told Harry.

'Sorry,' Harry apologized.

Ducky smiled and went on, 'While they'll spend a fortnight at the Sciutos', it was agreed that Abby would come with us to England for a month. There are a few interesting houses near Hogwarts, and there might be one that would suit us and that I could buy. Abby wants you to meet people – other than Minerva – in your future community, as well.'

'It's a family trip, but only half of the family – you, Nana, Kitty, Aunt Abby and I. Will we stay with Aunt Minerva?' Harry asked.

Ducky, his mother and even Kitty would never stop being grateful for the love Harry was giving them. The Mallards knew that Voldemort had killed many people and that they didn't stand a chance if such a formidable wizard decided to cast a Dark spell at them, but they knew that they'd try to protect Harry just the way James and Lily had.

'Mostly,' Ducky said. 'Abby is trying to find old friends of your parents, with Kitty's help.'

'But Kitty never wants to talk about Mum and Dad!' Harry exclaimed.

'Kitty are still too sad about Mistress Lily,' Kitty declared.

'Kitty?' Harry asked. He looked tense because he was gathering all his courage to ask an important question for the first time.

'Master Harry?' Kitty said.

'Why do you seldom mention my dad?' the boy asked.

Kitty dissolved into thin air, which prompted Harry to swirl to face Ducky. 'What's wrong?' the boy asked.

'Why don't you go brush your teeth and go to bed, I'll be with you in a minute,' Ducky said.

Harry knew that Ducky _never_ lied to him, therefore the impatient boy decided to give his uncle a few moments. Harry pecked Mrs Mallard's cheek and went to his room.

'Kitty!' Ducky called.

'Master Ducky?' she said as she reappeared into the room. 'Kitty are sorry, but Kitty can will not lie to Master Harry.'

'And you are right, Kitty. He must be told the truth, but I will tell him gently,' Ducky declared.

'As always. Master Ducky are a good man,' she said as she dissolved in the air again.

'What are you going to tell him?' Mrs Mallard inquired.

Ducky kissed his mother's brow and admitted, 'I'm not sure how I'm going to tell him the truth.'

'Keep in mind that it's better for him to hear the truth from you than from a stranger. He's almost seven. He'll understand,' she said.

Ducky gave her another peck and went upstairs to Harry's room. The boy was waiting for him in bed.

Ducky sat on the bed, and like each time Ducky was about to tell a story, Harry slithered into his Uncle Ducky's arms – the only _father_ he'd ever known.

'I remember the time when Mother sent me to Eton. You must understand that not all the boys were gentle or fair,' Ducky began his tale. He saw Harry look at him strangely, as if the boy was afraid that bad things had happened to his protector when he was in school. Ducky shook his head, caressed Harry's unruly hair and went on, 'There were boys who, because they were rich and noble, thought that the world belonged to them. They left me somewhat alone because they needed me on the cricket field, and they knew my family had a lot of money. We'd all been admitted to school for our academic achievements, and we were all supposed to be the future elite of the country.'

'It's never good when you use "supposed" in your sentences,' Harry pointed out.

Ducky nodded. 'There was a very small clique of people who decided who was worthy to attend our school and who wasn't. At the time, our teachers considered that our school was rehearsal for life, and they didn't intervene or protect the ones who were bullied – they had to learn to fend for themselves,' Ducky said.

'That's not nice,' Harry said with a small voice.

'You know that life isn't always nice, Harry,' Ducky said gently.

'Without you, Mum's sister would have let me die or somethin',' Harry mumbled barely above a whisper.

'No, Harry, I'm sure she would have taken you in. She must have been overwhelmed by what happened to your parents,' Ducky said.

'You think that because you're a good man, Uncle Ducky, but Aunt Minerva and Kitty told me how afraid they'd been about Albus Dumbledore's decision,' Harry said.

Ducky hugged his ward tighter.

'I know that life is weird, Uncle Ducky,' Harry said softly. He looked up at his protector and added, 'You know, usually, I follow your stories even when Aunt Minerva is completely lost, but I'm the one you lost this time.'

Ducky kissed Harry's brow and chuckled. 'I wanted to tell you what happened to me in school because I want you to know that Hogwarts could be a strange experience. You will have to deal with people who might think you didn't get the proper training because I, a Muggle, raised you. Others will believe that they should worship or fear you because you're supposedly the one who made Riddle disappear,' Ducky said.

'Uncle Jethro already told me so,' Harry admitted.

Ducky ruffled Harry's hair and declared, 'He really likes it when you call him "uncle". We're all family.'

Harry grinned and nodded fervently.

'There's one other thing that we haven't told you yet,' Ducky confessed.

'Don't look so sad! I know there are things you do to protect me. There's not much I could do now, but someday I'll have a lot of magic, and _then_ I'll be the one protecting you,' Harry promised.

Ducky kissed Harry's brow again and started the most delicate part of his story, 'I told you about the noble boys who thought they were better than anyone else at Eton. There are people like that in the magical community; those who were born into families where magic has been active for a very long time think they should be the only ones with magic.'

'Riddle is one of those, then!' Harry exclaimed.

'Not literally, but it's his philosophy, yes. You'll end up being an Auror,' Ducky said with a merry chuckle.

'And an NIS agent!' the boy exclaimed.

'Did you tell Jethro?' Ducky inquired.

Harry blushed and shook his head.

'He'll be happy – and proud,' Ducky told his ward.

Harry kept blushing.

'Well, the point here is that a few people think magic should be only theirs. They call themselves _Purebloods_. A few of them – but not all of them, Harry – have a lot of money and a lot of arrogance,' Ducky explained.

'That has something to do with Kitty's reaction, right?' Harry said.

'A bit,' Ducky admitted. 'I want you to keep in mind that _both_ of your parents loved you with all their hearts. Minerva knew them both – they were both sorted into her house.'

'Mum was like Kelly,' Harry said.

'She was a witch born into a Muggle family,' Ducky agreed.

'What about my dad?' Harry asked. Ducky didn't know how to tell his Harry that James Potter had been a bully. 'Oh! He was one of those people with old magic, wasn't he?' Harry asked.

'Yes, Harry, your dad was from an old family,' Ducky said.

'He had to have been nice to Mum if they got together, right?' Harry asked.

'They were deeply in love, Harry. _Never_ doubt that,' Ducky said with passion.

'But?' Harry said.

'But they didn't get together until their last year at Hogwarts. They both joined the resistance,' Ducky started to say.

'The Order of the Phoenix,' Harry interrupted him.

'That's it, Darling. They worked with Minerva, too. They became Aurors, got married, and then were blessed with you,' Ducky said.

'But before they got together, and before Mum did with Dad what Aunt Shannon does with Uncle Jethro when she says he's being a fool, my dad was not _fair_ at school. That's it, right?' Harry asked softly.

'Sometimes boys are a bit silly, but your dad grew up to be a good man,' Ducky said. 'You must keep that in mind.'

'Okay, Uncle Ducky,' Harry said obediently.

'You should sleep now,' Ducky said.

'Good night, Uncle Ducky.'

'Sleep tight, my boy.'

Ducky caressed Harry's hair, got up, turned the light off, and left the room.

Harry was a young boy, but he knew that there had to be much more than just what his _uncle_ had told him. The Mallards had always been very careful and gentle with him; they'd told him he was adopted when he started to call Ducky "Dad", and they'd explained how his parents had really died when he was old enough to hear the truth.

This time, Harry felt that there was much more to learn about his dad. He knew that it might hurt, but he wanted to know everything – before Uncle Ducky and Nana Mallard thought that he was ready.

There was only one thing he could do. 'Kitty,' he called in a whisper.

The house-elf appeared instantly. 'Master Harry?'

'You liked my mum, right?' he asked. Kitty nodded fervently. 'Would you tell me how she was when she was at Hogwarts?' Harry asked. 'Without telling the rest of the family… at least for the moment.'

'I can will obey Master Harry,' Kitty said.

'Kitty?'

'Master Harry?'

'Aunt Abby told Kelly and me a bit about your magic and what binds you. There's something that I'd like from you – as a free elf,' Harry said.

'This could be dangerous, _Harry Potter_,' Kitty said with a strange voice.

'I trust you,' Harry declared seriously as he took the house-elf's hand.

Harry heard, more than he saw, her ears flapping.

'What does you wants to know, Master Harry?' she asked very kindly.

'I'd like to know why you don't like the boy that my dad was, but if it's too much for you, I'll understand.'

'Master Harry are too young,' Kitty protested.

'Kitty, I was just a baby when Riddle tried to kill me. If you wait for me to be old enough, it might be too late. I must know who Mum and Dad were,' Harry said.

'All right, but Master Harry should must sleep first,' she said.

'Nice try, but… no.'

'Just like your Mama – kind, but stubborn,' she said.

'Was my dad a bad boy, Kitty? What did he do to anger you so much even after all these years?' Harry asked.

Kitty sat down on Harry's bed. 'Lily Evans were a great witch, a witch worthy of Gryffindor. James Potter and his petty friends – all _Purebloods_,' she spat that word and went on, 'was brats. They had did bullied a few pupils. They had did took a special dislike to a friend of Lily Evans; the poor boy were a Slytherin, and they had did tortured him.'

'Tortured?' Harry sobbed.

'I are sorry, Master Harry. I doesn't know what Lily Evans did to change Potter, but Potter's Hogwarts days was dark,' Kitty said.

'What if I am like him when I go there?' Harry asked worriedly.

Kitty laughed softly. 'There are the courage of your father in you – the man he does became, not the child he were, but you has the heart of Lily Evans. If you steps out of line, your chosen sister will can smack you,' she declared.

'Kitty, I must know what they both did if I don't want to repeat history,' Harry said, sounding like his uncle Ducky.

Kitty snapped her fingers, and Harry fell asleep.

When he woke up in the morning, he realized that Kitty had shared with him her memories of Lily Evans and James Potter. Harry was not too happy with his dad, and he was particularly grateful that Ducky had rescued him from Petunia Dursley, née Evans.

Harry shared his secret with Kelly.

'You know what we should do?' she said. He shook his head. 'Ask Abby if there's a magical _Who's Who_.'

Harry and Kelly ran to their tutor.

Abby, their magical encyclopaedia on legs, thought that it would be a very good thing for both children to read something about the important people in the magical community in the UK. Doing so would expand Kelly's world by allowing her to get to know Harry's future friends and foes, and their families. At the same time, reading that book would help Harry make his future world more concrete by allowing him to browse the important names in the community.

In the Magical section of the Library of Congress Abby located the latest version of _Who's Who in the Magical Community of the British Isles_ and had it delivered to the Mallards' house.

Kelly and Harry were convinced that Abby knew what they were looking for in that book; they were also convinced that it was part of Abby's tutoring. The book was bigger than a phone directory, and they wanted to read only the articles about the friends of Harry's parents; however, they didn't know if there was a spell to find exclusively the pages that could interest them – and if there was such a thing, they had no wand to cast it.

'That thing is huge,' Harry complained.

'Maybe we'll have even bigger books to read when we go to school,' she pointed out.

Harry shuddered and growled, 'Thanks chuck!'

She shrugged. 'What can we do without magic?' she wondered.

'Uncle Ducky would tell us to read it all, but I bet there are a lot of uninteresting people in that book. I don't want to read about them,' Harry said.

Kelly leafed through the book. She was forced to agree that quite a few of the entries looked rather boring. 'Maybe we could check the few names we know,' she suggested.

'Brilliant! Let's see what they say about Aunt Minerva,' Harry said.

They found the right page and giggled when the Minerva in her magical photo waved at them.

'I love that kind of pictures!' Kelly said joyfully.

Harry nodded. 'They're funny!' he agreed. 'Who next?'

'Your surname?'

Harry froze. 'Mum and Dad are angels, and I'm just a boy, Kel'. Aunt Minerva said I'm the last Potter. Why would I be in the book?' he said.

'Yeah, but you're not just any Potter,' she pointed out as she started turning the pages again.

Harry gasped when he saw that there was an article about him.

'They're mad!' Harry exclaimed. 'I'm just a boy!' he repeated.

'They've got it all wrong about you – except about your birthday – but there are a few things about your parents,' Kelly declared after scanning the page.

Harry was mesmerized by the photo that went with the article. It showed him as a baby in Lily's arms, while James waved with one arm around his wife's shoulder.

'Pity that it's black and white,' Kelly complained. 'We can't check if you've got your mum's eye-colour, but your poor eyesight definitely comes from your dad.'

'And we should do something about that.'

Harry and Kelly swirled towards their beloved tutor, who had appeared right behind them in complete silence.

'But my dad wore glasses!' Harry protested. 'It must be something that can't be changed or healed.'

'If you were a Muggle, you'd have to keep your glasses, but there's a potion that was invented a few years ago. I can give it to you after your birthday,' Abby said.

'Why not before we leave for London?' Harry asked.

'Because, Sweetie, there's a little something that's going to change in your magic after you turn seven, and then the potion will heal you completely. Now it would do only half its job, and it's one of the potions you can take only once in your life,' Abby explained.

'Will you travel with the potion?' Kelly inquired.

'It needs to be fresh. I'll brew it over there. It'll only take a few hours,' Abby answered.

'Thanks, Abbs!' Harry said happily.

She grinned and winked. 'Now, my little Aurors in the making, try to find a way to avoid turning all the pages one by one,' she said before Disapparating smoothly.

'Told you! There's got to be a way!' Kelly said. 'What kind of magic could _we_ use?

'Kitty!' Harry exclaimed.

Kitty appeared in front of the children instantly.

'Can you help us, Kitty?' Kelly asked.

'What do Mistress Kelly need?' Kitty asked.

Kelly looked at Harry to encourage him to ask what he really wanted.

'Well… I'd like to know if there's something you can do to help us find only the pages we want to read,' Harry told the house-elf.

Kitty snapped her fingers and said, 'Open the book and the pages can will turn themselves by magic. First to the entries about allies, and then about enemies.'

'Enemies?' Kelly gasped.

'Not all Death Eaters was sent to Azkaban, Mistress Kelly,' Kitty explained.

'What's Azk'ban?' Kelly asked.

'Wizarding jail,' Kitty said with a shudder.

'And not all of Riddle's gang are behind bars?' Harry asked.

'No, Master Harry, most of them had did slither out of the Aurors' traps,' Kitty said sadly.

'It'll be better to read about them to know who they are,' Kelly declared with a little something of her dad's voice.

'I know that Uncle Ducky said growing up wasn't always fun, but maybe there's a nice Academy that would welcome me here,' Harry said with a small voice.

Kelly cuffed the back of Harry's head – the way she'd seen their Uncle Mike do with her dad when he'd done something that wasn't to Mike's liking.

'You'll never be alone in that fight, silly!' she growled.

'It'll be a bit tough when Abby's no longer our tutor and there's an ocean between us,' he said sadly.

'We could do what we saw in that movie yesterday,' Kelly suggested.

'Blood brothers?' he asked.

'I'm a girl!' she protested, adding a pout for good measure.

'Yea, I know, but you get the idea. Is that what you want? You'd really be my blood sister?' he asked.

'We're not… I mean… You're my brother, Harry,' Kelly said seriously.

He hugged his friend and said, 'Same here, Kel'. You're the only sister I'll ever have.'

'Except if Mum and Dad have another witch!' she giggled.

Kelly and Harry traded looks, and Kelly put one hand over her mouth.

'Prediction?' Harry inquired.

Keeping her hand where it was, Kelly nodded.

'Cool!' Harry said. 'Until we get a new witch in the clan and we can have her join, we could start a blood bond together. Okay?'

'Shouldn't we ask Abby?' Kelly wondered.

'I bet she'd be here if it were a problem,' Harry said, and Kelly had to agree with him.

Neither kid could have imagined that their tutor was busy analyzing something for Mike and Gibbs, and the blood bond between them wouldn't be discovered for a few years.

It took the children a week to read the pages that were interesting for Harry in the book.

Their family of the heart saw them taking down notes studiously – and painstakingly slowly.

When Harry gave Abby the book back, he looked a bit disappointed.

'What's wrong, Sweetie?' Abby asked.

'There was nothing about a few people I'm interested in. That must mean that I have to wait,' Harry said.

He'd found a small article about Peter Pettigrew's death, but there was nothing about the two other remaining friends of his dad, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. More disappointing for Harry, there was not a word about his mother's only friend, Severus Snape.

'There's a reason for everything,' Abby said philosophically.

'I know, Aunt Abbs,' he said softly.

.

(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	3. Chapter 3

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've almost finished writing this story (over 130 pages already!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

.

The following week, the Gibbses were going to New Orleans.

Harry, Ducky and Mrs Mallard were Apparated to a magical house near London, where Abby was waiting for them with their luggage, which she had restored to original size after spell-shrinking it for the trip.

Harry grinned – the ley lines were thrilled to feel his magic back _home_, and they welcomed him.

During their holidays in the UK, they had mainly two things to do – besides enjoying their trip – they had to find a nice house not too far from Hogwarts and visit magical areas.

Minerva joined them a few hours after their arrival; she was to spend the rest of summer with them.

'What are we going to do first?' Harry asked eagerly.

Minerva and Ducky traded looks.

'We definitely must find a house, but it might be boring for you,' Ducky told Harry.

'No!' Harry exclaimed. He looked at his Aunt Minerva and blushed as he said, 'But if you want to do it, just the two of you, I'll understand.'

The couple smiled at Harry.

'We should all go together,' Minerva said.

'This is going to be our house. We should all like it,' Ducky added.

Minerva and the Mallards had already told Abby that she was taking part in the adventure – and not only for the time she'd be tutoring the children. She was a part of their chosen family. 'We should Apparate north first and visit houses until you find one you'll really like,' the young witch said.

Mrs Mallard nodded and added, 'Once we've found a new cottage, we can go shopping.'

Minerva and Abby nodded fervently at the suggestion, which prompted Ducky and Harry to trade pseudo-frightened looks.

'How should we dress?' Mrs Mallard asked Minerva.

'It was a bit windy when I left Hogwarts; a warm jumper might be a good idea,' Minerva said.

'Kitty can will Apparate back here if you need anything,' the house-elf pointed out.

'That's good, but I was wondering if our Muggle clothes would stand out or not,' Mrs Mallard explained.

'I'm not planning to change,' Abby declared casually.

That day, she was wearing her trademark army boots with tight black trousers and an even tighter black T-shirt (that one had tiny fuchsia skulls imprinted all over).

'Hogshill is a Muggle town,' Minerva said. 'Even if we were to go to Hogsmeade for a visit, Abby and I could always transfigure your clothes.'

'I'm not transfiguring any of my clothes,' Abby said.

Minerva looked at her young friend and unofficial Animagus student and grinned. 'You'll have the entire population of single people after you in a second,' she said.

Abby's eyes were wide as saucers, and she shook her head.

'You're very pretty, Abby,' Ducky pointed out.

'Yeah!' Harry agreed with his protector.

By then, Abby was gaping.

'You can always try your Muggle clothes in Hogshill and Hogsmeade. If they draw too much attention, you can try witching robes in Diagon Alley,' Mrs Mallard suggested.

Abby nodded.

'Shall we go?' Minerva asked.

Ducky looked at Kitty, and she nodded at her chosen master. They'd agreed that whatever happened outside, she was coming with them to protect Harry, and if anything odd happened, Kitty was to Apparate Harry back to safety.

Harry travelled with Kitty, while Abby took care of Mrs Mallard, and Ducky Apparated with his companion. The real estate agent in Hogshill was a Squib, and therefore wasn't surprised when they all appeared out of thin air into her office.

'Good morning! I scouted four houses for you; two just outside of town – they're completely Muggle cottages. There's another one just between here and Hogsmeade; it might have a few magical features,' the real estate agent declared.

'Such as?' Ducky inquired.

'I heard that there might be a ghoul somewhere in the house,' she admitted.

'We can check that,' Abby and Minerva said in harmony, which made them smile at each other.

'And the fourth house?' Harry asked the agent.

'I don't know if you'll like that one, it's a magical cottage just outside of Hogsmeade, but it's a beauty,' the agent answered.

'If we can live in it, it might be a good thing for Harry to be surrounded by magic,' Mrs Mallard said.

'Harry won't be allowed to practice magic outside of school until he's a certified wizard,' Minerva pointed out.

'No fair!' Harry said with a pout that really showed his age.

The agent had been focussing on the adults, but Harry's look and his name made her react. She might be a Squib, but she was still close to her magical family. She squeaked and asked, 'Harry Potter?'

'Did you know my mum and dad?' Harry inquired eagerly.

'No, but I know you're the one who made You-Know-Who disappear,' she said.

'_You-Know-Who_?' Harry repeated.

'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,' the agent said in a whisper.

Harry looked at Minerva.

'Most people don't want to say the name of the Dark Lord aloud,' Minerva explained.

'I told you how powerful a name can be,' Abby added.

Harry nodded and said, 'I know, but Riddle wasn't such a great wizard.'

'But you did magic that destroyed You-Know-Who,' the agent protested in a whisper.

'Wasn't me, Ma'am. I showed signs of magic only last year. That's when I got Aunt Abbs for tutor,' Harry protested.

'Everybody believes that it was you,' the agent said.

'Then I'll just have to tell everybody it was something either Mum or Dad did,' Harry declared calmly.

The agent looked at Ducky and said, 'Your ward is not out of the wood.'

'But he's got us,' Ducky said.

The agent smiled widely. 'All right, shall I drive you to the houses, or can one of you Apparate me with you?'

'I can!' Abby said joyfully.

The first three houses were nice, but no one in the Mallard group fell in love with them.

The instant they saw the Hogsmeade cottage they knew that they'd found a new home. There was a ghost in _The Burrow_, but the Mallard-McGonagall-Sciuto-Potter family didn't mind. Minerva and Abby would cast spells to help Ducky and Mrs Mallard live there quietly without having magic interfering with their everyday life. The ghost of the late Mr Lommers was delighted at the prospect of having regular company.

All the papers were signed by lunch-time.

They all went to the Three Broomsticks, the biggest pub in Hogsmeade, to celebrate. When the owner, Madame Rosmerta, noticed Harry among her new patrons, she suggested they have lunch in the quietest booth.

Harry heard her say to one of the waiters, 'He looks so much like his dad.' The boy looked away.

Right after ordering, they went to the bathrooms to wash their hands.

Ducky left Harry with Kitty; he didn't want to mother-hen his boy – that was Mrs Mallard's job.

A gigantic man was standing before the sinks, looking at his reflection in the mirrors, when Ducky and Harry got into the gents' bathroom. He was still in the same spot when Ducky got back to the main room.

Harry was drawn to the stranger because he was very, very tall – and he looked part-giant.

The man was shivering slightly. When a tear rolled down his cheek onto his beard, Harry asked, 'Are you all right, Sir?'

The man looked straight at Harry for the first time and nodded, thus spilling more tears. 'Yeh look like yer mum, too, Harry,' he said.

'You knew my mum?!'

'I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts,' he said.

Kitty revealed her presence and said, 'Hagrid was a good friend of your mother.'

Hagrid looked at the house-elf and put two and two together. 'I'm glad yeh're protecting Lily's son,' he said.

Minerva opened the door and saw Hagrid. 'Join us for lunch, Hagrid,' she said. That was an order, not an invitation, and Hagrid knew better than to say "no".

Back in their booth, Minerva introduced Hagrid to the others. The half-giant told them how happy he was that Harry had found nice people to love him.

Shyly, Harry asked Hagrid to tell him stories about his parents. Hagrid mentioned the Marauders, but when Harry asked if he could contact them Hagrid and Minerva looked deeply embarrassed.

'Two of them are unavailable,' Minerva said neutrally. 'And I have no news from Remus Lupin,' she added.

'Lupin is trying ter make a living in the Muggle world,' Hagrid whispered.

'Why?' Abby wondered.

Minerva knew that the younger witch could be worse than Gibbs when she wanted to know something. 'He's got a medical condition that prevents him from keeping a Wizarding position for too long,' she explained, hoping that Abby would know better than press the issue.

'Maybe I could write to Mr Lupin,' Harry suggested.

'I'll try to find his address,' Minerva promised.

The rest of the conversation was focussed on Lily Evans. The more Harry heard about her, the prouder he became – and the sadder he was that he'd never get to talk with her and hug her and tell her how much he loved her.

Before saying Hagrid goodbye, Ducky gave him their addresses in Hogsmeade and in Washington. Hagrid told Ducky how much he loved animals and asked Harry's protector if he could give him a pet; Ducky agreed, but not until they'd moved to Hogsmeade for good when Harry will have started going to Hogwarts. When Hagrid left them, he had a dreamy look and was muttering something about finding the perfect pet companion.

They Apparated their agent back to her office in Hogshill, and then they went back to London where they visited the Muggle side of town in the afternoon.

Shopping for the new cottage started the next day. Abby and Minerva led them into Diagon Alley. The few particles of magic in Mrs Mallard were allowing her feel a few things, and the old lady looked absolutely radiant and happy.

Since Kitty was there to protect Harry, his guardians and tutor let him wander a bit – though both Minerva and Abby had a temporary Location charm cast on the boy.

Harry was looking in the window of a Quidditch shop when he asked his house-elf, 'What kind of game is that?'

Kitty was about to answer and start explaining the rules when a boy about Harry's age snorted behind him. Harry turned to face him, and he noticed that the other boy was wearing wizard robes that looked very expensive. Harry reflected that it was silly to spend so much money on what were certainly everyday clothes when the boy was bound to outgrow them within the year. Harry concluded that the boy might well be one of the Purebloods he'd been warned about.

'I take it you already know everything about everything,' Harry told the boy a bit coldly.

'Well,' the boy sneered, 'at least _I_ know Quidditch. Father taught me to fly, and I play a good game.'

'Good for you. I don't know that game yet, but I can play cricket. Can you?' Harry asked.

'That's a Mudblood game,' the boy spat.

'Excellent education you got there,' Harry pointed out coldly. He turned to Kitty and asked, 'What's more difficult, Quidditch or cricket?'

'You cannot won't compare cheese and apple pie. Same with those two games, Master Harry,' she said.

'Yeah, I guess you're right,' Harry said with a sigh.

The other boy finally noticed Kitty, and he started gaping. 'You've got a house-elf just for you?' he asked.

Harry smiled and hugged Kitty, who grinned happily. 'Looks like it!' Harry said brightly.

'Whoa!' the other boy exclaimed. 'Father never lets any of ours take care of me.'

'Weird,' Harry said.

'Is you alone?' Kitty inquired.

The boy nodded and said, 'Father is in Knockturn Alley doing… something. He didn't want to tell me what, and he forbade me to follow him.'

'Say, want to tell me what Quidditch is, and I'll tell you about cricket,' Harry offered.

'A Mu…ggle game?' the boy said with a moue of pure disdain that didn't look natural at all, but more like the result of the boy imitating a parent.

'Aren't you a bit curious?' Harry teased the boy.

The boy looked around. When he was satisfied that neither his father, nor any of his father's friends were around, he said, 'Maybe.'

'My folks are shopping for our new Hogsmeade house – and with Aunt Minerva and Aunt Abbs and Nana Mallard it's going to take forever. Do you know a place where we could sit? Not the Leaky Cauldron, though. They forbade me to go there alone,' Harry said.

'There's Fortescue's. They've got ice cream,' the boy said.

'Fantastic!' Harry said happily. 'By the way, I'm Harry, Harry Potter.'

'Draco Malfoy.'

'Cool name! I'm sure Aunt Abbs is going to love it!' Harry said.

Draco froze. What would his father say if he knew that he'd been civil to the boy who'd wounded the Dark Lord?

Draco looked so pale that he frightened Harry.

'What's wrong, Draco?'

'Draco Malfoy are afraid that his father punish him. Lucius are the name of his father,' Kitty told her charge.

'Can you put a spell on me so that I don't look like me? If his dad sees me, he'll never know then,' Harry said.

Kitty snapped her fingers, and Harry instantly looked like someone else. 'Your family can will know you, Master Harry,' Kitty said.

'Good. Thanks, Kitty! I wouldn't want any of them to panic,' Harry said. He turned again to Draco and asked, 'Where's that ice cream you mentioned?'

'You're the one who defeated the Dark Lord,' Draco said in awe.

'There's something really wrong with you people! I didn't show signs of magic until last year. Whatever happened the night Riddle disappeared, it was a grown-up thingy,' Harry explained.

'That's not what people say,' Draco said in a whisper as they walked towards Fortescue's.

'Look! If I'm lucky, I'll learn a thing or two at Hogwarts, but when that happened I was barely one, and _I_ did nothing. I'm beginning to get the feeling that I should have cards printed to distribute to save me from repeating the same thing over and over again,' Harry said.

Draco smiled widely – it was nothing like the trademark Malfoy sneer, it was the innocent smile of a child.

Over weird-flavoured ice cream, the boys talked about sports and about Hogwarts. Harry was about to start talking about his family when Draco spotted his father down the alley. Lucius looked furious, and the young boy shuddered with fear.

'Let Kitty help,' the elf said.

By the time Lucius reached them, the house-elf had cast a few spells on the Death Eater. Lucius simply told his son to say goodbye to his new friend. The boys shook hands, promising themselves to keep in touch before they got their Hogwarts letters. Lucius was impressed that his son had befriended a boy he thought was an alien Pureblood.

Harry watched Draco walk away.

'What do Master Harry think?' Kitty asked her charge as she undid her spells on him.

'I think that he's not like his dad – at all.'

'Master Harry should must keep in touch with young Draco – or he will can fall into darkness,' the elf predicted.

'Can you deliver letters without telling Uncle Ducky?' he asked.

'Mistress Abby will do know.'

'She knows everything,' Harry praised his tutor.

'Aww!' Abby purred as she leant to kiss his cheek. 'You're sweet… and Kitty can use her magic to deliver your letters. It would be a good thing to keep that boy on your side.'

Harry beamed at his tutor.

'Now, I'll have a quick coffee, and I'll take you to my favourite shop to pick out a birthday present,' Abby said.

'You don't have to, Aunt Abbs. You're already brewing the potion that'll get me rid of my glasses!' Harry protested.

'But I want to buy you something, Harry!' she exclaimed loudly.

A wizard who was shopping with four of his six sons turned towards her voice and recognized Harry. Arthur Weasley squeaked, which made his twin sons, Fred and George, giggle at his expense.

'Harry Potter,' Arthur Weasley gasped.

The name of the Boy-Who-Lived sobered the Weasley twins, who swirled towards Harry.

'Here we go again,' Harry sighed.

'Are you really…' George started to say.

'Harry Potter?' his twin Fred ended their question.

George and Fred were holding each other and were grinning. They looked so cheerful that Harry couldn't help but smile.

'That's what my family tells me,' Harry answered.

'Family?' the twins' eldest brother whispered at their father.

'Bill!' Arthur whispered urgently.

Abby looked at the Weasleys and said, 'Harry's aunt told us a few things about what people believe they know about Harry and his parents. We know you worked against the Dark Lord alongside our Harry's folks. Would you have a few minutes to tell us what the wizard in the street thinks about Harry?'

'Cool!' the twins exclaimed.

'Children, we shouldn't intrude,' Arthur protested.

'But, Dad!' the fourth son, Charlie, cried.

Arthur was about to scold Charlie, but Abby was already summoning chairs.

'We brought Harry to Great Britain so that he could meet his future allies. Sit down, Mr Weasley,' Abby said. She turned to Bill and said, 'Run to the nearest Floo connection and tell your mother where you are. I know she cannot leave your three other siblings alone, but tell her we're bound to meet often since Harry and Ron are going to be in the same year at Hogwarts.'

Bill started to obey, took two steps, and swirled to face Abby. He began to ask, 'How do you…?'

'Abby knows everything,' Harry giggled.

'Not _everything_,' she protested with a wide grin.

'How do you know our lil' brother's name?' the twins inquired in synch.

'I'm a seer – among other things – now be good boys and go order ice cream for ten, lemonade, tea for four and a cup of coffee,' she told them, handing George a purse full of Galleons.

Before Arthur could object, Bill was half-way down the alley, and the twins were already ordering.

'Whoa!' Charlie exclaimed.

'It was meant to happen this way,' Abby told Arthur.

'Molly sent me shopping for a few things, and I don't want us to intrude,' Arthur told her.

'When Bill tells her you're with us, she'll give your children their medicine, and they'll all take a nap together. Molly needs to rest a bit, but she didn't dare tell you,' Abby declared.

'Mum's exhausted,' Charlie said in a whisper.

Arthur flinched, and then he relaxed. 'You'll have to come to the house when the children are healed,' he said.

'All of us?' Harry asked.

'You disappeared the night…' Arthur stopped. He couldn't bring himself to mention the deaths of Harry's parents. 'No one knows where you were taken,' he said.

'Albus thought his Muggle aunt would take care of him,' Minerva told Arthur as she joined them at Fortescue's.

'Harry's aunt surrendered our dear boy to me,' Ducky declared.

'You're a Muggle!' Charlie exclaimed when he noticed Ducky.

At the same time, Arthur shouted 'Professor McGonagall!'

'Hello, Arthur,' Minerva greeted the wizard.

Arthur sat down on the chair that Abby had placed right where it would be needed.

Ducky turned to Charlie and said, 'Yes, my dear boy, I'm a Muggle.'

'Are we making friends?' Mrs Mallard inquired as she joined them.

'Looks like it,' Harry said.

'Now, Harry, what have I told you about partial sentences?!' the old lady objected. 'What is the Wizarding community here going to think about us if you talk like a baby? That we let prairie dogs raise you?'

Harry giggled and said, 'I'm sorry, Nana. I think we're making new friends here. Mr Weasley invited us to visit his family.'

Mrs Mallard turned to Arthur. The old lady might be a Squib, but her eyes were so piercing that even Voldemort would have frozen for one full second under such scrutiny. She had no magic, but she was a good judge of character, and she smiled at Arthur finally.

'Everything's fine at home, and Mum said we could have lunch at the pub if we want,' Bill told his father as he ran back to them.

Fred and George joined them, too. 'Mr Fortescue didn't want to allow us to carry the trays,' they explained with a pout. Two trays were floating behind them.

Abby started distributing glasses and bowls of ice cream. The twins hadn't ordered enough ice cream – at least not enough in Abby's book – and she understood that the Weasleys certainly didn't have much money to spend on ice cream.

'Boys seem to have a hard time getting things right when we send them shopping,' Abby told Minerva and Mrs Mallard. She snapped her fingers and sent more money to Mr Fortescue to get another order of ice cream, which was delivered on a third tray.

'You and Aunt Shannon are teaching me that,' Harry teased his tutor.

'My dear Minerva, we'll have to make sure we go shopping with our Harry, too,' Mrs Mallard said.

'As long as you don't forget him on a ferry,' Ducky teased his mother.

'I only forgot you once, Donald!' she protested.

Ducky chuckled.

'You seem to have found a nice family, Professor McGonagall,' Arthur said.

Minerva took Ducky's hand and said, 'It all started the night Albus and I took Harry to his Muggle relatives.'

Minerva, the Mallards and Abby told the Weasleys how they ended up taking care of Harry. The Weasleys talked about their family, and Arthur told Harry a few stories about James and Lily Potter – he'd been about to mention Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black, but glares from Minerva, Abby and Mrs Mallard prevented him from doing so.

At one point, Harry whispered something in Minerva's ear, and she beamed at him. 'Excellent idea, my Dear,' she said. She asked Arthur, 'Do you know where Remus Lupin is these days?'

Arthur shook his head. 'You could ask Professor Dumbledore. I'm sure he knows,' he suggested.

Minerva groaned.

'Professor,' Bill said softly, 'why don't you want to ask him?'

'Because I don't want to have to tell him why I want to contact Remus,' she explained.

'Surely, he'd understand why Harry wants to meet his parents' friends,' Arthur said. Then realization dawned, and he asked, 'Does he know that Harry's staying with Dr Mallard?'

Minerva groaned and said, 'No, but knowing Albus, he's about to come in here and join us.'

'Bit like Gibbs, is he?' Abby inquired.

'Abigail! How do you expect Harry to speak like a gentleman if you, his tutor, speak like a farm-girl?' Mrs Mallard asked.

Abby blushed and apologized.

'Harry Potter!'

Harry was very much tempted to say something along the lines of "Here we go again!" but he knew better if he didn't want Nana Mallard to be disappointed in him. He leant towards her and asked in a whisper, 'What would be an appropriate answer?'

She murmured something in his ear. He looked at the old wizard who'd just walked up to their table and said, 'How do you do?'

The newcomer bowed and said, 'How do you do?'

'Hello, Albus! We were wondering if you know where Lupin is. Our Harry would like to meet him,' Minerva said as if she were asking him the time of day.

'Of course,' Albus answered. He looked quite stunned, but he conjured a piece of parchment with Remus's address on it and handed it over to Minerva.

She read it and said, 'Spinner's End? The name of that place rings a bell.'

'You and I will have a serious talk, Sir,' Abby declared a tad coldly.

The powerful Dumbledore looked at the alien witch dressed like an eccentric Muggle, and – he gasped. He knew how powerful witches could be – if he'd had to name only one powerful witch, he'd name Lily Potter (after all, her magic had protected her son from the Killing curse) – but this young woman knew even more powerful magic than Lily.

'We'll make this short. You've seen what I am exactly, and I'm a seer, too. Not like the one who gave you the prophecy about Harry, though. I see. I see all the time. I know you meant well when you left Harry with the Muggles, but without Ducky, the poor boy's life would have been one long nightmare – something even worse than what Riddle went through. There are a few secrets you'll need to share with me,' Abby declared.

'Who's Riddle?' Fred asked Harry.

'That's the real name of the Dark Lord,' Harry answered.

The four Weasley boys shivered at the mention of Voldemort.

'I want to protect Harry,' Albus said.

'And you will,' Abby swore. 'But if you keep secrets, Riddle is going to use them against Harry.'

'But he is dead!' Bill exclaimed.

Albus sat down and sighed sadly. 'Lily cast a powerful spell to protect Harry, and when the Dark Lord cast a spell on Harry, the spell bounced off him. Had he been any normal wizard that would have been enough to annihilate him, body and soul. However I have proof that he took measures to achieve immortality.'

The Weasleys looked stunned.

'And there's the Prophecy,' Albus added in another sigh.

'I can deal with the Prophecy,' Abby pointed out.

Albus opened his mouth to protest, but he realized that Harry might well be under the protection of the only witch on this side of the world who could help him against Voldemort.

'Exactly my point!' Abby said with a feral grin. She turned to Minerva and said, 'If we really want to protect Harry, we might want to change a few things.'

'Such as?' Minerva inquired, completely at sea.

'If you were to adopt me, Harry would become a magical kin,' Abby said.

'What would your parents say?' Mrs Mallard wondered.

Abby signed her answer.

'Very clever, girl! What would they _say_?' Mrs Mallard asked once more.

'They're not losing me; they're gaining you _all_, plus the Gibbses. Mum figured this might happen. Dad has already started buying Christmas gifts for everybody. Now we only need to know if Minerva wants a daughter – that is one of the things I can't see because I'm involved,' Abby said.

Minerva looked petrified.

'I'll understand if this is too much for you. If so, we'll find another way,' Abby said.

Ducky laced his fingers with Minerva's and whispered in her ear, 'Harry is the only son I'll have. Abby could be the daughter you never had.'

Minerva nodded at Abby.

'Would you like us to perform the spell?' Albus asked.

'Now?' Minerva squeaked.

'Yes!' Abby said excitedly. 'You'll help us, won't you, Mr Weasley?'

'Me?' Arthur said.

'Dad! The spell must be cast by two wands!' Bill exclaimed.

A minute later, Abigail Sciuto not only had two biological parents, but also a magical mother, Minerva, as well as Minerva's bonded Muggle companion.

'I'll have the adoption registered at the Ministry if you want,' Arthur said.

'Thanks, but we'll have to go to the Ministry ourselves this afternoon,' Abby declared.

'Why?' Charlie wondered.

Abby grinned and said, 'Now that I have a second mother, I understand how to do this.' She changed herself into her Animagus form – a black cat, smaller than her own cat, but with tall limbs. She jumped into Minerva's arms and licked her face.

'Abby!' she protested.

'What? Nothing for me?' protested Mrs Mallard.

Abby transformed back and went to kiss her new grandmother's cheek.

'Cool! I have a third sister!' Harry said happily.

'Sister?' the twins repeated.

'I already had Kelly. Now I have Abbs, too, and in a few months, Aunt Shannon is going to have another witch,' Harry explained.

'Shannon didn't mention a new pregnancy,' Abby protested.

'And Gibbs didn't ask me to examine his wife,' Ducky added. 'Even though I'm no specialist! But our dear Jethro trusts me.'

'Maybe it's new. I don't know, but Kel' saw it happening,' Harry said.

'When did it happen, Kitty?' Albus asked the house-elf, who'd been trying to remain hidden since the old wizard joined them.

'Are Master Dumbledore angry with Kitty?' the elf asked, ready to punish herself.

'Never, my sweet! You have a right to protect Harry and to help us in this fight. I remember what you lost,' Albus said gently. 'Is Harry right about his future sister of the heart?'

'She are made last night,' a blushing Kitty answered.

Harry grinned and beamed.

'We're still winning,' Fred whispered to Harry.

'For the moment,' Harry answered with a giggle.

'Completely barmy!' George said amiably.

'You'll make a good honorary Weasley,' Fred murmured to Harry.

'Or maybe he'll marry Ginny!' George went on.

Abby chuckled and winked at the twins. All the others thought that she'd found their sense of humour to her liking – the twins understood that they'd made a prediction, and that made them very happy even if they didn't grasp all the ramifications of such a simple statement.

They all ended up having lunch together at the Mallards' new cottage in Hogsmeade, thanks to a healthy dose of magic performed by Kitty.

Mr Lommers's ghost was instantly adopted by the twins, and the ghost was delighted to have so many people around – and not afraid of him!

In the afternoon, the Weasleys went back to London to finish their shopping, and they promised to send an owl as soon as Percy, Ron and Ginny were healed of their bout of fruniax fever.

Kitty was sent to New Orleans to tell the Sciutos that their family had grown, while Abby hopped to the Ministry to obtain her international Animagus registration papers.

Albus Dumbledore was invited to stay to get to know Harry better, tell the boy stories about his parents and – later – share all his secrets with Abigail Sciuto-McGonagall.

Minerva went to the Owl Office with Ducky to send a message to Remus and invite him to Harry's birthday party.

The day Harry turned seven was the second day his family of the heart spent in their new house in Hogsmeade. Thanks to a healthy dose of magic – and a bit of help from their new friends – everything was ready for a huge party.

Mr Lommers was so happy that he was floating close to the ceiling, which prompted Abby to tease the gentle ghost.

In between spells to prepare the house, Abby had been talking a lot with Albus. The old wizard was forced to admit that his strategy concerning Harry might well be flawed, and he started sharing what he knew with Abby.

It was a rather difficult situation, and Abby decided that a pow-wow with all the adults – Muggles and magical folks alike – would be helpful. However Abby wanted to wait for a few more weeks before attempting to plan things to protect Harry in the future and help him in his inevitable future fight against Voldemort. She mainly wanted to wait because she knew that one of the most important players had not met Harry _yet_.

The Weasleys were the first to Floo in. Arthur and Molly arrived together – they wanted to be ready to help their youngest children when they exited the Mallards' fireplace. Bill, Charlie and Percy got out of the fireplace, and the two elder boys introduced their brother to their hosts. The two youngest Weasleys travelled each with one of the twins.

'Harry, why don't you show Ron and Ginny our garden? You three will have company very soon,' Abby said.

'Who?' Harry asked as excitedly as if he were already very high on sugar.

'What?! Don't you want the surprise?' Abby teased him.

Harry pouted, which made Abby laugh. 'Who could it be?' she asked him.

Realization dawned slowly and Harry asked, 'Draco?'

Thanks to Kitty, the two boys had been exchanging letters each day. It had taken Harry just one day to understand that even though Draco wasn't an orphan, Lucius Malfoy's home was far from being a loving place and Draco's mother, Narcissa, was being kept so busy by her husband that she couldn't take care of her son.

'Lucius's son?' Arthur asked warily.

'Draco's nothing like his dad!' Harry protested loudly.

'Malfoy was a Death Eater,' Percy declared as if the sin of the father must be the sin of the son as well.

'Try being a bit more open-minded, Perc', will ya?' Abby said, her Southern accent thickening.

'Draco Malfoy will must need to be rescued and helped,' Kitty declared as she kept preparing lunch.

Arthur and his children saw the mother-hen in Molly wake up, and they knew that they were doomed.

'Go into the garden, kids. I'll go to Malfoy Manor,' Abby said.

In the wink of an eye, she Disapparated.

Harry, Ron and Ginny went into the garden. They were soon followed by the twins, Charlie, and even Bill – only Percy stayed inside with the adults who were getting to know one another.

Bill and Charlie told Harry a few wild stories about Hogwarts in between games. Ron and Ginny looked a bit awed to be playing with the "famous" Harry Potter. At one point, the twins chased their two elder brothers, and Harry sat down under a pear tree with his two new friends. Ron and Ginny were doing their best not to even look at Harry.

'Do I have chocolate on my nose or something, and you don't want to tell me?' Harry asked them.

Ron shook his head. Ginny blushed.

'One day, we'll go to school together. We'll have to work together – and our parents were all on the same side in the war. It's going to be tough being friends if you think I'm special. I'm not, guys!' Harry said.

'You're Harry Potter!' Ron said.

'Yea,' Harry said with a sad sigh. 'My folks were murdered by a madman, Mum protected me with magic, and if Uncle Ducky's car hadn't broken down when it did, I'd probably have been starved to death by my awful Muggle aunt,' he added dejectedly.

'She wouldn't have!' Ginny exclaimed.

Harry looked at her. He signalled them both to come closer to share a secret. 'Kitty was curious about my mum's sister. She said she wanted me to know more about the Evans family, and she went to see my aunt and her family two days ago. Kitty was shocked when she came back,' he said.

'How awful!' Ginny said sadly.

Harry gave her a small smile.

'Do you really think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will come back?' Ron asked in a whisper.

'Professor Dumbledore and Abby think so. Now, I've just met him, but Abby's my tutor – and my sister now – but you wouldn't believe the things she knows. Riddle will come back, and in a few years we'll have to end the fight that our folks started,' Harry said.

'I'll help you,' Ginny swore.

He beamed at her and said, 'Thanks! I bet I'll need all the help I can get.' He paused, looked at her and added, 'You're the first person who's not a member of my family who has agreed to help me. That means a lot, Ginny!'

The girl blushed again.

'She worships you,' Ron told Harry in a mock whisper.

'Do not!' she protested loudly.

'Don't,' Harry said softly while looking at Ginny. 'Just be my friend.'

She nodded fervently.

'I think you can count us all to be behind you when you fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,' Ron said.

'His name's Riddle, you know. I understand if you don't want to say aloud the Vold'thingy name he chose for himself – after all, Abbs told us about the power of names,' Harry said.

'Us?' Fred asked as he cart-wheeled under the pear tree and joined the three kids. He was followed by his twin and two other brothers.

'That'd be Harry and me.'

Harry turned towards the newcomer and squeaked, 'Kel'!'

'Surprise! The Sciutos Apparated us here for your birthday party,' Kelly said.

'No one told me you were coming,' Harry said.

'Harry James Potter, we've been living like brother and sister since Uncle Ducky adopted you, and we always celebrate our birthdays together. Did you really think we'd miss this one? Silly!' Kelly said.

'So she's like your sister?' Ron asked Harry.

'Nana is going to kill me if I don't do things properly – or nearly so,' Harry said as he got to his feet and turned towards the Weasleys as he held Kelly by the shoulders. 'Guys, this is Kelly Alexandra Gibbs, my sister.'

Harry introduced the Weasleys who were present.

'You'll meet our other brother Percy when we go back inside,' Bill told Kelly.

'I've seen him. He was busy glaring at the poor guy Abby rescued,' Kelly said.

'A blond boy our age?' Harry asked Kelly, who nodded.

'What's wrong with Malfoy?' Bill inquired.

'Apparently he's been injured. I heard the grown-ups say that his dad had him healed by not-too-gifted house-elves. Mrs Weasley and Abby are taking care of him, and I think I heard someone say that he'd stay with you for a week at the Burrow,' Kelly declared.

'He can't stay with us!' Ron spat.

'He'll stay with Harry here,' Kelly explained.

'But you said the Burrow. That's our home,' Charlie said.

Harry chuckled and said, 'That's the name of our home, too!'

'Whoa! That's funny!' Kelly said.

'It's not funny. It's interesting. There has to be a connection between the two places,' Draco said.

'Are you all right?' Harry asked his other new friend worriedly.

'Yes, thank you, Harry. Mother would have rushed me to St Mungo's, but Father needed her by his side for something. Mrs Weasley healed me completely. Abigail convinced my father that I could stay with you. I hope you don't mind,' Draco said.

'Don't be daft!' Harry said genially.

'That's not nice of your dad!' Ginny told Draco.

'Can't change him,' Draco said with a shrug.

'One thing, Draco. Don't call Aunt Abby "Abigail". Uncle Ducky's the only one who can get away with it – and not all the times,' Kelly warned him.

'Really?' Draco asked.

'Oh, yea! Not even Uncle Gibbs tries that, and he was a Marine!' Harry added.

Draco grinned and said, '_Abigail_ said it was okay.'

Kelly squeaked.

'But then, I didn't protest when she called me Dragon,' Draco added with a wide smile.

'I have the feeling that this day is going to be…' Fred began.

'… completely barmy,' ended George.

'Do you really think there's a connection between our two houses?' Ron asked Draco.

Draco nodded.

They all remained silent for a few seconds, then Harry and the twins exclaimed, 'Let's try to find it!'

'Guys! We're guests here!' Bill protested.

'There's one thing you must understand about Abigail,' Draco intervened. When all the Weasleys looked at him, he added, 'She's a true seer.'

'And she probably has Kitty watching us,' Kelly added.

'How do we find the connection? We can't use magic,' Ron said.

'We use the magic we can access!' Harry said. He turned towards the house and called, 'Mr Lommers!'

The ghost joined them in the garden and told them that there was a passage to another house through the cupboard under the stairs. The other door opened into the attic of the Weasleys' Burrow.

They were playing magical games on the Weasleys' side of the Burrow when Kitty called them back to the Mallards'. There were two other guests for Harry.

Professor Dumbledore had managed to convince Remus Lupin that he really should come and meet his old friends' son.

The latest full moon had been particularly taxing for Remus, who had become a werewolf after being attacked in his youth. The poor man looked positively exhausted and worn out.

'Can you help him?' Draco asked Mrs Weasley in a soft whisper.

She caressed his hair and shook her head.

Draco looked at Abby, who winked. 'He's got something serious, but I've heard about someone who can help him,' she whispered.

Draco smiled.

Remus looked mesmerized by Harry; the boy took a few steps towards his dad's close friend.

'How do you do?' Harry said softly. He didn't want to disappoint his adopted grandmother – and he didn't know what else to say.

Remus crouched down painfully and asked, 'Are you well and happy, Harry?'

Harry nodded and said, 'Yes, Mr Lupin. And you?'

Remus bravely nodded, but he looked about ready to start crying.

'You miss my dad,' Harry stated.

Remus took a deep breath and said, 'I miss James and Lily. You look so much like your dad, Harry – a small James with Lily's eyes. Your eyes turned green within an hour after your birth.'

'Really?' all the adult women in the room asked in synch.

Remus nodded and then beamed when Harry hugged him.

'That's powerful magic,' Draco murmured.

Kelly was next to him and asked, 'Is it?'

Draco nodded and said, 'I don't really know what it means, but it's unusual. Then again, Harry's nothing usual.'

Kelly hugged Draco, which surprised the hell out of him. 'We'll have to stay in touch when I go back home,' she said.

'We'll have to be careful. If Father were to find out, he could hurt you, and he'd punish me,' he answered.

'We've got Kitty and Aunt Abbs on our side,' Kelly declared. She paused, exactly like her dad would, and then added, 'Of course, we can ask Uncle Mike to give us additional strategy tips.'

'Is he your mother or father's brother?' Draco asked.

'He's Dad's boss,' Kelly answered.

'You're really weird,' Draco said.

'But you like our weirdness,' Kelly declared.

'Yea,' Draco admitted.

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(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	4. Chapter 4

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've almost finished writing this story (over 130 pages already!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

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The Weasleys – except maybe Percy – warmed up to the Malfoy heir; they started thinking that the only son of Lucius Malfoy might not be the brat they'd thought he'd be.

While the Weasleys were warming up to Draco, Remus was sharing tales about James and Lily with Harry.

Harry absolutely loved his birthday party. After dinner, the Weasleys went back to their Burrow through the passage that connected the two houses. The Sciutos used sign-language to give a lot of instructions that Abby and Gibbs translated for them, and then Abby's biological parents and the Gibbses Apparated back to New Orleans.

'There's one thing you didn't translate,' Albus told Abby.

'Two, actually,' Abby admitted. She turned to Harry and Draco and said, 'It's late, boys, you should go to bed.'

'I'll come and tell you a story,' Ducky promised.

Harry grabbed Draco's hand and dragged him behind him as he exclaimed, 'Cool!'

Draco looked a bit stunned to share a bed with Harry, but the blond loved the extravagant tale that Ducky told them, starting unsurprisingly with, 'I remember the time…'

In the meantime, Abby was sharing two pieces of information with Albus and Remus over glasses of whiskey.

'My mother felt the curse that is running through your veins, but she also felt that there might be a way for us to help you find a steady job – until a treatment can be found, and you can go work at Hogwarts in a few years,' Abby said.

Remus shook his head.

'This is what's meant to happen,' Abby declared.

Remus was about to start protesting, but Albus placed one hand on the werewolf's arm and said, 'Trust her.'

'What job could I possibly find when, during a full moon, I turn into a monster?' Remus said sadly.

'You see, on our side of the pond, we tend to mix a bit more with the Muggle community. I'm the magical tutor for Harry and Kelly, and I work for the NIS, too. It's not in your traditions here, but we have an NIS office in London, and my mum knows at least one wizard there who could do with a bit of magical help. It'd be for a few months until you're cured,' Abby said.

Remus shook his head again.

'When your wife wants to find names for your first born, I'll be the one giving her ideas, and then you'll be really sorry you didn't believe me right now,' Abby said.

'Mistress Abby are a real seer,' Kitty whispered to Remus.

The werewolf looked pointedly at the floor and said, 'I can never have a child.'

'The day your future wife tells you that she's expecting, you'll have to tell her why I'm to be the godmother,' Abby declared.

'Right! And I guess Albus will be the godfather!' Remus spat, looking at Abby with fire in his eyes.

Remus froze when he noticed that her normally green eyes were now black – completely black.

'We warned you, boy. Abby is a real seer,' Mrs Mallard said.

'Actually, Harry will be your son's godfather,' Abby said.

Remus gaped.

Abby's eyes turned green again. 'Now, Mum felt that there was a secret about your Marauder friends,' she said.

Remus blinked and said honestly, 'The Marauders had many secrets.'

'We're bound to see a lot of each other then,' Abby declared.

The rest of the evening was spent in quiet chats.

The next day, Abby gave Harry a dose of potion and chanted a powerful spell that healed Harry's sight completely.

'Great! Thanks, Abby!' Harry said as he hugged her.

'You're welcome. You look a lot more like your Mum now. There's just the hair colour that's off,' Abby said. 'Now run to the kitchen and tell Dragon to be ready in five minutes. Remus invited us to lunch at his house.'

When Remus and Abby walked into the kitchen, they discovered that Harry's hair was the colour of his mother's.

Remus pointed one finger to the house-elf as he looked at Abby questioningly. Abby shook her head and whispered, 'Wishful magic.'

'You should have seen Draco's face when I did it,' Harry said with a giggle.

'Not funny, Harry!' Draco protested.

'C'mon, boys, let's get ready,' Abby said.

'My house is small and… well, not much,' Remus apologized.

'That's not important,' Draco and Harry said in synch.

'MEOW!' Severus meowed as he jumped on Draco's shoulder.

'Can he come, Mr Lupin?' Draco asked.

'Of course. Hold him tight,' Remus said. 'And for Merlin's sake, call me Remus!'

They went to Spinner's End while Kitty made lunch for Mrs Mallard and Albus – they'd discovered that they had cousins in common and wanted to chat quietly. Ducky and Minerva went out on a romantic date.

After a simple lunch that they all enjoyed, Abby called Kitty to watch the boys while she wizard-napped Remus to the London NIS office.

Abby's cat knew his part in all this, and he went outside, prompting the boys to run after him.

The black cat was about to cross a road when a spell wrapped the cat and the boys in a protective bubble.

'Thanks, Kitty!' Draco said.

'It weren't Kitty's magic,' the elf declared.

Draco picked up the cat, who started purring.

Harry turned around and saw a black-clad man who looked furious. Harry recognized the man and tears welled in his eyes.

'Severus,' Harry whispered.

Draco thought that Harry was referring to the cat, but the Hogwarts Potions master knew that the boy was calling him. Severus Snape _knew_ that the boy had to be Harry Potter; he'd expected him to look like James. However with Lily's eye-and-hair colours, Harry reminded Severus of the girl he'd met years ago.

Harry crossed the road and ran away.

'Master Severus must run after Mistress Lily's son,' Kitty ordered the wizard. 'Kitty will can stay with Severus-the-cat and Draco Malfoy.'

Severus felt that he had to protect Lily's son and started running after the boy.

Kitty held out her hand to Draco, who took it.

'Shouldn't we help? Or call Abby?' Draco asked.

'Has no fear, Draco Malfoy. Mistress Abby have know what are going on. Master Harry and Master Severus needs to bond,' Kitty said.

'Bond?' Draco repeated.

Kitty nodded and explained, 'Master Harry have Master Ducky, Master Leroy, and he need Master Severus in his life, too.'

"Wish my parents were like that," Draco thought.

Kitty heard that thought; she relayed it to Abby thanks to her special magic.

Abby left Remus to sign his NIS contract and meet his future fellows for an hour, and she went to The Hague where Lucius Malfoy was making a deal with a local warlock. Abby located Narcissa and gave Draco's mother a few tips to change the dynamic in her marriage – Lucius would never know what hit him.

Severus had never imagined that such a young child could run so fast. The Potions master caught up with Harry only when the boy had reached the very place where Severus saw Lily Evans for the first time.

After casting a spell that told him that there was no one around, Severus was ready to immobilize Harry. He didn't have to do it, though, because Harry thought he'd run fast enough and far enough to stop, and he collapsed on a patch of dried lawn under a tree.

'What possessed you, boy?' Severus growled as he reached Harry's side, towering over the boy.

Harry looked up and whispered, 'I'm sorry.'

Severus couldn't begin to imagine why tears were rolling down Harry's cheeks – or why he'd apologized exactly.

Right then, Harry looked so much like Lily that Severus's heart painfully remembered how to beat. Instantly, Severus remembered the times he'd hurt Lily with harsh and stupid words, and it was so painful that he felt like crumbling next to her son and start crying, too.

Lily was dead, and there was nothing he could do to apologize to her again, but her son was right here with him.

Severus crouched down and with a very soft voice he said, 'There's no need to apologize. You're safe. It was stupid to run after your cat, but you're a little boy, and there were no Muggles around to see me cast the spell I used.'

Harry shook his head and repeated, 'I'm sorry.'

Severus was at sea as to what Harry really meant to say. 'It's all right, Mr…' Severus's voice trailed off. He discovered that it was painful to acknowledge that Lily's son was the son of James Potter as well.

'Y'see. That's what I meant. Kitty showed me what happened. I'm sorry my dad and his friends were so awful to you, and now you're going to hate me because everybody keeps telling me that I look like my dad,' Harry said, a few sobs punctuating his speech.

Severus was quite taken aback.

'You look so much like her,' Severus countered the boy.

'That's because Aunt Abby healed my eyes just this morning, and I no longer need my glasses. When she said my hair wasn't Mum's colour, I just wished it were like hers and I did magic,' Harry said.

'Wishful magic.'

'That what Aunt Abbs said,' Harry said. 'Everybody says I got my eyes from Mum, but I look like Dad. I have no memory of them, but they're my parents, and you've got to hate Dad.'

'I don't hate him,' Severus said.

'That's a lie,' Harry murmured sadly.

'I don't hate him. I despise him, and…' Severus couldn't bring himself to tell Harry that he still wanted to hex James for seducing Lily. Severus also considered that Lily was dead because of her association with James.

Harry felt a change. He knew, thanks to Kitty, that Severus was a powerful wizard, but Harry took a leap of faith and asked one of the questions that were torturing him, 'What happened between you and Mum? Kitty couldn't tell me much.'

Severus staggered, lost his balance, and sat down on the ground, thus ending up at eye level with the son of the only woman he'd ever loved.

'Please,' Harry begged. 'I'll never know Mum and Dad. I'll never fully understand what Dad did to you. You can tell me why you're not my dad. Kitty said she thought Mum would stay with you.'

What neither Voldemort nor Dumbledore could have got from the spy for the Order of the Phoenix, a seven-year-old boy got. Severus looked at Harry and gave him an honest answer, 'I was an arrogant idiot, and I was hurt. I insulted Lily in a way that she was right not to forgive. I started paying for what I did when your father married her. My school foe wed Lily.'

'I don't understand.'

'You are too young. Maybe one day you _will_ understand. James was horrible to me, but he was a good husband for your mother. I'm convinced he would have been a good father, too. Lily would have seen to your education. She would never have allowed you to act the way your father did at Hogwarts,' Severus said.

'Really?' asked Harry, his eyes still shining.

Severus nodded.

'You still love my mum,' Harry stated.

Severus had never imagined that such simple words could hurt so much. Painfully, he gasped, 'Yes.'

'Aunt Abby says Fate can be really twisted,' Harry said.

Severus was about to answer something when Harry whimpered.

'What's wrong?' Severus asked worriedly.

'My eyes are tingling,' Harry complained.

'When did you take the potion?' Severus inquired.

'This morning after breakfast.'

'Who cast the two spells on you?' Severus asked.

'There was only one spell. The one that allowed me to see without my glasses,' Harry said.

'Normally, my potion needs two spells. I'll have to bring you back to whoever is raising you so that the healing is finalized,' Severus said.

'Aunt Abby went to the NIS with Remus. Can't you cast the spell? I don't want to have to wear my glasses again. Please!' Harry said.

'What would your aunt say?' Severus wondered.

'Oh.'

'You see. We have to find your guardian,' Severus declared.

'You've got me wrong, Professor Snape. Abby is my aunt and my adopted sister, and she's my tutor, and she's a seer – a real one. I bet she knew we'd meet, and I bet she wants you to cast the second spell because it's not like her to forget to cast a spell – _ever_,' Harry said.

'Who is that woman? I thought Lily was the only witch in her family,' Severus said.

'When Albus deposited me on the doorstep of my Muggle aunt, Aunt Minerva stayed around, and she was there when Uncle Ducky rescued me. I'm living with him and Nana Mallard in Washington, D. C. When Kelly – that's my first sister – and I showed signs of magic last year, a tutor came to teach us about magic. That was Abby; she became like another aunt to us, and now Aunt Minerva adopted her officially. Would you do something now, Professor Snape? My eyes really hurt,' Harry said.

Severus would have time later to analyze everything Harry had shared with him, but right now, the green eyes that looked like his Lily's were begging him to make the pain go away.

Severus realized that Harry was the only part of the woman he loved that was still alive, and he decided to help Harry for Lily's sake – and if James rolled in his grave, all the better. He cast again the spell that told him that there was no one around, and he secured the effect of the potion in Harry's eyes.

The next instant, Severus Snape found himself with Harry in his arms and hugging him.

'Thank you, Professor Snape! That's awesome!' Harry said.

Severus's tongue was faster than his brain and he said, 'Your mother called me Severus.'

'I thought she called you Sev,' Harry asked innocently.

'_She_ was the only one who got away with it,' Severus answered honestly.

'Okay… Severus,' Harry said. He was still hugging the older wizard when he giggled.

Severus sighed and said, 'I know it's an unusual name.'

'Well, what's funny is that Abby's cat – the one you helped me save – is a Severus, too,' Harry explained.

'Your tutor, aunt, sister or whatever is certainly a very strange witch,' Severus said.

'She's great! And she loves potions. I'm sure you'll like her,' Harry said.

'I have enough challenges in my life,' Severus almost snorted.

Suddenly, Harry started looking more closely at the wizard he was still holding.

'Harry?' Severus said, as if he were testing the name on his tongue and as if it potentially were a powerful spell.

'Did you invent the potion Abby brewed to heal me?' Harry asked.

"So much like my Lily," Severus thought.

'Did you?' Harry insisted.

'Yes.'

'Why?' Harry asked.

'For you.'

'Uh?' Harry said.

Harry looked so surprised that Severus was forced to smile – a first since he'd lost Lily.

'The odds were against you. Potter had a magical infection in his eyes, and he passed that on to you. I wanted to make amends and give Lily something she'd like. However I don't know how your tutor got the idea to use it on you. My discovery wasn't advertised much,' Severus explained.

'Told you! She likes potions – and she's quite good – and she _is_ a real seer,' Harry said.

The only seer Severus knew was Trelawney, and therefore had a hard time believing Harry.

'Anyway, I'm glad I could help you. I think I should escort you back. Where are you staying?' Severus asked.

'Abby Apparated us from our new house in Hogsmeade, but we've had lunch with…' Harry's voice trailed off and he paled significantly as he realized that Severus probably hated Remus Lupin.

'With?'

Harry was trapped. He mumbled Remus's name; Severus heard him loud and clear and froze.

Harry looked as if he were about to start crying again.

'Harry, you're not responsible for what your father did,' Severus said.

'You're not mad at me, then?' Harry asked with a small voice.

'Why would I be mad at _you_?' Severus asked. He had a hard time following the boy's logic.

'Remus can tell me things about Dad. You can tell me things about Mum. I don't want to have to choose between either of you. I want to get to know you both,' Harry explained.

"Can you stand the werewolf if it means that you get to see the boy?" Severus asked himself. He looked at Harry. "Why can't he be my son?" he thought. Instantly, his guilty conscience added, "If he were mine, the Dark Lord would have taken him and his mother from me for being tainted with Muggle blood – and I would have known the same fate. He's not mine, but I can protect Lily's child."

'I imagine I could send you letters when you go back to Washington,' Severus said neutrally.

'You'll have to come visit us there and in Hogsmeade before I go to Hogwarts,' Harry said.

'I thought you said you have an American tutor. Aren't you going to be schooled there?'

'Oh, no, I already know that I'll go to Hogwarts. Abby said it was planned that way,' Harry said.

'Then, I'm afraid I can't be too close,' Severus protested.

'Why? Aunt Minerva is going to be my teacher, too, and she said I only would have to remember not to call her "Aunt Minerva" in her classroom. Please! I need you. You're the only one who can tell me secrets about Mum,' Harry pleaded.

'I am not a respectable wizard, Harry,' Severus protested sadly. He allowed himself to be weak since he knew that Lily's son was the only witness to his weakness.

'I don't understand everything Kitty showed me, but I want you to tell me more,' Harry said.

Severus remained silent and got to his feet with Harry still in his arms. When Harry wrapped his arms around Severus's neck, the older wizard had no choice but to carry the boy.

Harry smelled like Lily, and Severus found out that it was somewhat easy to overlook the fact that Harry was James's son.

Harry and Severus were both lost in their respective daydreams.

They finally arrived at Remus's house, up Severus's street. Severus rang the bell, and Remus opened the door.

'Hello, Severus. Abby knew you'd be coming. She, Draco and the cat went back to the Burrow, but she left Kitty behind to lead you there,' Remus said.

'I am not a baby-sitter, Lupin. Harry will have to travel with his house-elf,' Severus said as he meant to put Harry down.

'Master Severus don't mean to disobey Mistress Abby,' Kitty protested. 'Bye, Remus Lupin.'

With a loud crack, Severus, Harry and Kitty Apparated into the Burrow in Hogsmeade.

'Good afternoon, Severus, you're right on time for tea,' Minerva said.

At the same time, Abby cast a spell by snapping her fingers. 'I see you finalized the healing,' she told Severus.

He turned towards her and growled, 'Harry could have been in a lot of pain!'

'But you were there. You had to be there,' Abby said.

'Allow me to introduce you to my daughter, _Abby_,' Minerva said looking at Severus.

'This is not her name,' Severus stated.

'You must be invaluable to the Order of the Phoenix,' Abby praised him. 'I know that you're not a seer like me, and yet you felt that Minerva introduced me in an odd way. I'm Abigail Sciuto-McGonagall. I know you won't call me by my full name – only Ducky and Dragon do so.'

'Severus is invaluable, indeed,' Albus said as he walked into the kitchen with Mrs Mallard.

Severus froze. He did so not because he was surprised to see his employer here, but because he felt as if any of his aptitudes were irrelevant since he hadn't been able to save Lily.

Harry felt the difference in Severus and hugged his new friend even tighter. Much to his surprise, Severus hugged the child back.

"Knock, knock," Abby thought, projecting her words at Severus.

"More than a Legilimens," Severus answered in a thought, too.

"You had to be the one to help Harry and the one to finalize his healing. I'm a true seer, but I don't know _everything_. What I _do_ know is that you will become one of Harry's protectors," she told him.

"I will stand between him and the Dark Lord because Harry is Lily's legacy," Severus thought.

"If things were different, if he'd stayed with his Muggle aunt, Harry would have known nothing about you, and he just might have ended up hating you," Abby thought.

"So what?" Severus thought bitterly.

Abby flinched a bit and thought, "He's the only child Lily had – the only child of hers you can love."

'Stop it, Abigail!' Ducky intervened. He didn't know that they were exchanging thoughts, but he could see that Severus was pale and looked distressed.

'Tea's ready,' Minerva announced.

'Stay, please,' Harry whispered in Severus's ear.

Severus nodded. He reluctantly put Harry down.

'Draco!' Mrs Mallard called the other boy.

Their blond guest arrived with Abby's cat in his arms; Draco was talking to Severus when he noticed their new guest.

'Whoa!' Draco said.

'We've got another Severus,' Harry told his friend.

Severus – the one walking on two legs – looked at the boys as if they'd each grown a second head right in front of him.

Ducky had taken an instant liking to his Harry's new protector; it was as if Ducky could feel how tortured, sad and lonely Severus Snape was. Ducky placed one hand on Severus's arm and whispered, 'You'll see, it's very easy to adapt and get used to such a charming child.'

Severus knew Albus and Minerva. He didn't really know how to deal with boys as young as Draco and Harry. He didn't know what to think about Mrs Mallard, and he was just a bit wary of Abby for the moment – however, there was something warm about Ducky that was encouraging Severus's heart to thaw. Severus could almost see or feel the connection between Ducky and Harry.

Severus knew first-hand how Petunia Dursley, Lily's sister, was bigoted when it came to magic. He couldn't begin to imagine what she would have done to Harry if Ducky hadn't rescued the boy – for that alone, Severus liked Ducky.

Tea was rather nice for Severus, who was understanding with each passing minute that he wanted to be a part of Harry's life – even though he didn't know where the feeling was coming from. He was even finding it ironic to see Lucius's son becoming friend with Harry Potter and being civil with a Muggle doctor and his Squib mother.

Severus was about to relax completely when Abby did something worse than her strange cat, who was playing with Severus's nerves because he wanted to be given cakes. 'You'll have to start working on a cure for lycanthropy,' she said.

'In Merlin's name, why?' Severus spat.

'Because you're going to become famous when you find that cure,' Abby said.

'I'm not going to waste time with such research,' Severus declared.

Abby hid behind her cup and mock whispered, 'So you're not good enough to do it.'

With the silkiest voice ever, Severus said, 'Do you think you can tease me that easily, little girl?'

'Nope,' Abby said with an impudent grin.

Severus glared at her.

'Children! You're not cats and dogs!' Mrs Mallard scolded them.

'More like brother and sister,' Draco told Harry.

They all turned to Draco as one, and the boy blushed deeply.

'If it ever comes to that, you'll be the one adopting,' Minerva told her companion.

'Ladies, quit teasing Severus,' Ducky ordered.

Involuntarily, Severus's feelings for Harry's protector grew again.

'I'm not teasing him!' Abby protested. 'I'm challenging him.'

That got Severus's attention. 'What do you mean?' he asked.

'I bet that I can find a cure before you, if I put my mind to it,' Abby declared.

'But you're not a Potions mistress!' Draco exclaimed, looking utterly lost.

'You are right, Dragon. I am many things, but potions aren't my field of expertise,' Abby admitted. 'However, I'm a stubborn gal, and someone has to invent that potion.'

'What are you exactly?' Severus asked her.

'Forensic expert, witch, Animagus, seer, _Voodoo priestess_, you name it,' Abby answered Severus.

The last element had completely escaped Severus's scrutiny, but then again there wasn't much Voodoo at Hogwarts – if at all.

'Are you going to do it, Professor Snape?' Draco asked.

Severus looked at Draco and was about to shake his head when Abby asked, 'Are you going to allow a mere potions _aficionada_ to beat you at such a challenge and a discovery?'

'My dear Abigail,' Ducky said seriously, 'I think you are a mite unwise to tease our guest.'

'Ducky,' she answered as seriously, 'if he cannot stand a little competition with me, how is he going to be able to protect Harry on the battlefield?'

'I can protect Harry, and I will,' Severus snarled.

'Yes, but you could do so much more,' Abby declared with passion.

'And pray tell, how would helping flea-infested werewolves possibly allow me to protect Harry better?' Severus spat.

'If you invent a potion before I do, I'll give you a Voodoo charm to shield you from Riddle,' Abby said.

That was a very interesting and valuable wager.

'If you were to win, what would you expect from me?' Severus inquired.

Abby knew that she had to find something big enough to motivate Severus to work against her. She pretended to observe him and declared at last, 'There's another way to make you Minerva and Ducky's son. If I win, you'll marry me.'

Severus paled so much that Kitty was about to summon smelling-salts. The mere idea of marrying a woman who was not Lily Evans made Severus feel truly faint, which was something that not even Voldemort or any of his Death Eaters could ever do.

'Are you a chicken, Snape?' Abby kept teasing him.

'What proof do I have that you're powerful enough to do what you promised,' he inquired.

"Knock, knock," Abby said again in another thought.

"WHAT?!" barked Severus in answer.

"May I give you something?" she asked.

He sighed mentally, but agreed.

He would never have imagined that Abby knew a way to allow him to remember everything – each and every tiny little detail up to the smallest – about Lily. Suddenly, things he'd forgotten over the years were coming back to him.

That was an incredible, beautiful and moving gift.

'I'll do it,' Severus said.

'I'll share a few of my books with you,' Abby said.

'Why?' Draco wondered.

'We'll need the potion for Remus, and I want to help him against Riddle, but even though he's quite a challenging wizard, he's not the one for me. Therefore, I'll help him win,' Abby said.

'Pity. You look good together,' Draco declared.

'Kids!' Abby said fondly with a warm chuckle.

'Mr Malfoy, I hope our hosts made it clear that you must not tell your father that you saw me here today,' Severus told Draco somewhat coldly.

'I may be just seven, but I'm not stupid. I've been living with Father all my life. I've learnt what to do to avoid being punished,' Draco said sadly.

'Things will change when your parents come back from the continent,' Abby promised.

'Really?' Draco asked.

'Your mother loves you dearly, and she's making a few changes as we speak,' Abby said.

'Do you think I could have a cat?' Draco asked.

Such an innocent question reminded the adults how much they had to protect the new generation.

Abby grinned and said, 'I think I heard Severus's sister was having kittens, maybe I can get one for you. I'm sure I can convince your mother to let you have a cat,' Abby said.

'Fantastic!' Draco exclaimed.

'MEOW!' protested Severus.

Draco scratched the cat's ears and told him, 'I like you, but you're Abigail's cat, not mine. With a bit of luck, one of your nieces or nephews will become my cat.'

Ducky looked at Severus. The younger man looked positively puzzled with Draco and Harry, as if young children really were a complete mystery. Ducky decided to talk with Severus privately as soon as possible. There was not much magic in Ducky, but he was rather a good judge of characters, and he just knew that Harry was becoming attached to Severus right in front of them.

Ducky had unreservedly given all his paternal love to Harry, but he'd always known that a younger man would become a better father figure for his young ward. Gibbs had been the first to play that role – but Gibbs wasn't a wizard.

Now that Harry had shown signs of magic, Ducky thought it was his duty to find a wizard who was free to become a role-model for Harry. From what he'd gathered about the Potions master, Ducky felt that Severus would be perfect – he was young, powerful, gifted, stubborn, single, and Harry trusted him.

Of course, Ducky couldn't begin to imagine that his Harry would have one hell of a surprise for him years after the end of the war – it was too soon… and it was too farfetched even for a man like Ducky.

Ducky hoped to find the right words to convince the younger wizard to join their strange family. He was lost in thought when Kitty put one tiny hand over his and winked; he beamed at her.

After tea, Ducky took a few pictures that would be developed in a magical solution to become Wizarding pictures. He made sure to take one of Harry in Severus's arms.

When Mrs Mallard told Draco and Harry to go out and play in the garden, the boys knew better than not to obey.

Albus announced that he had to leave, and Severus was planning to say the same, but Abby tried to trap him.

'I have a _De Potiones_,' she said. 'The first edition.'

'Good for you, _Miss McGonagall_,' Severus said neutrally. He turned to the Mallards and said, 'Thank you for the tea. I have work to do. Goodbye.'

Without another word, he Disapparated.

'Very efficient, Abigail,' Ducky told the young woman with a tone that was sharper than he'd originally intended.

'If he hadn't gone back to his home, you wouldn't be able to bring him a magical copy made by Kitty as a peace offering,' Abby said.

Everybody else agreed with Abby's plan. Ducky didn't like the bad feeling he had, as if it were a terrible move to try to manipulate Severus Snape.

Kitty made a copy of the rare potions book Abby owned, and the house-elf took her chosen master inside Severus's house. However, Ducky added two things to the witches' plan: he went with Harry, and he had a gift for Severus.

'It's us,' Harry said with a small voice as Severus aimed his wand at his uninvited visitors.

'Give him the book, Harry, and go back home with Kitty,' Ducky said.

Harry handed Severus several scrolls of parchments onto which Kitty had magically copied the book. The parchments had all been spelled smaller.

'You can beat Abby with that book,' Harry told Severus.

The Potions master was mesmerized when he accepted the copy.

'Why do you want me to beat your tutor?' Severus asked the boy.

'Because she'll give you a protection against Riddle. I don't want him to hurt you, ever,' Harry explained.

Harry hugged Severus and then held out his hand to Kitty, who took it.

'I'll come back when you calls me, Master Ducky,' Kitty said before she dissolved into thin air and went back to Hogsmeade with Harry.

Severus looked stunned.

'There is one thing that Tom Riddle could do that would hurt you – even now,' Ducky declared.

Severus snorted and spat, 'Call your stupid elf back, Dr Mallard.'

'Of course, he killed Lily, but how would you feel if he were to hurt, torture and kill Harry? Harry's all that's left of Lily,' Ducky said.

'You have no right…' Severus began to say.

'It's my duty to protect Harry. I can love him with all my heart. I can kill for him or die for him,' Ducky said with passion. 'One spell from Voldemort, and I'll be with Harry's parents in an instant. You can help him defeat that lunatic for good.'

Severus shrugged.

'I brought you something,' Ducky said. 'I didn't have time to find a frame, and I didn't want to ask one of my witches to transfigure one, but, here…'

Severus took the Wizarding picture of Harry and him. He was smiling in the photo, and Harry was positively beaming as he hugged him.

Severus staggered and sat down heavily in an ancient chair.

'Even wishful magic won't allow Harry to keep that hair colour for very much longer, and I thought you'd like to have this,' Ducky said.

Severus was rendered speechless. He so much wanted Harry to be his son that it hurt and it was painful to even breathe.

Ducky took a few steps to be next to him and asked gently, 'What happened to you, my dear child?'

"My dear child" was one of Albus's expressions – one that grated on Severus's nerves usually – but from Ducky's mouth, it felt different.

The day had been emotionally exhausting. He didn't know why, but Severus told the story of his life to his uninvited guest, and he spared no details.

A few hours later, long after dinner, which they had skipped, and well into the night, Severus stopped. He had no more to say… or maybe just one thing. 'I don't even have a picture of Lily,' he whispered.

'I'll find you one,' Ducky promised.

'Why?' Severus asked.

The parlour was dark; the only light was coming from the Muggle lampposts outside. Ducky was convinced that his host wanted very much to be alone to be free to let his tears pour without restraint.

Ducky knew that Severus could hex him so hard that he'd land in the next millennium – and Severus knew that Ducky knew – but that didn't prevent Ducky from gathering Severus in his arms.

'I'll do it because you still love her, and you've suffered too much for too long. We're going to protect Harry together. You mustn't let Abigail bother you; she's a good girl, but she's special. You can come and see Harry at anytime, and you can do things with him if you want,' Ducky declared.

'Why would you trust me with Harry's wellbeing?' Severus inquired incredulously.

'I trust you, Severus,' Ducky answered seriously. 'Besides, Kitty can locate Harry anywhere. She's attuned her powers to Harry's magical signature.'

Severus was silent.

'This is not a joke,' Ducky added.

'I know.'

There was something in Severus's voice that bothered Ducky. 'What's wrong, my Dear?' he inquired.

'I… I read your mind without telling you,' Severus explained.

'Did you? I felt absolutely nothing. You are really gifted,' Ducky praised him.

'I…' Severus began. He paused and decided to ask the question he really wanted to ask because he was many things, but a coward wasn't one of them. 'Do you really wish I were your son?' he said.

'Yes.'

'Why?' Severus asked incredulously.

'You are not an angel. You've made a lot of mistakes, but you've paid a dear price for them. Albus doesn't see how much he's hurt you, and I truly wish I could have protected you,' Ducky admitted.

'You're a Muggle, but your love was strong enough to activate a spell that allowed you to rescue Harry. I wasn't able to stop the Dark Lord and save Lily. I deserve what's happened to me,' Severus declared sadly.

'I loved Harry even before I saw him in his basket I think, but I'm just an old Muggle. I'll protect him until the day I die, but let's face it, I'm his old uncle. I'm even old enough to be his grandfather. You're old enough to be his father, and I'm old enough to be yours,' Ducky said.

'Why did you never marry?' Severus asked.

'Before I met Minerva, I've only been in love once. We were both young, both in the army; I came back, but she didn't,' Ducky explained.

Severus could relate.

'If you'd been my son…' Ducky started to say sadly.

Severus had not broken his connection with Ducky, and he read in Ducky's mind that the doctor would have fought for his son. Suddenly, the mere idea of a life where he wouldn't have been neglected, abused, and betrayed made Severus feel like crying again.

If Donald Mallard had been his father, then maybe he'd never have taken the Dark Mark, and maybe he wouldn't have lost Lily to Potter. Maybe she'd be _alive_.

In silence, one single tear rolled down Severus's cheek. He was grateful for the darkness.

'But I wasn't,' Severus said neutrally. He was proud that his voice didn't quake.

'It doesn't mean that we can't be friends,' Ducky said as he wiped Severus's tear away.

Severus didn't know what to think of this atypical Muggle.

"He may be an adult, but he needs a protector nearly as much as my Harry," Ducky thought.

He wrapped his arms around Severus, who didn't protest. He was too tired of everything, and he decided to give Ducky a chance – the old Muggle was like a light, and Severus had been shut in in cold darkness for too long.

.

(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	5. Chapter 5

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've almost finished writing this story (over 130 pages already!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

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Two days later, Kitty Apparated into Severus's home with Harry – and another gift.

'Uncle Ducky told me to tell you how we got it,' a beaming Harry said by way of introduction as he handed a small packet to the Potions master.

Severus opened it and discovered a Wizarding picture that had been taken at Hogwarts – it showed Lily right next to a Slytherin ugly-duckling known as Severus Snape.

'Uncle Ducky asked Hagrid if he had any pictures of Mum, and he gathered a whole album of pictures of Mum and Dad. He even found a few photos of them with me. We got that one from Remus, who'd kept it. Kitty made a copy for you,' Harry explained.

'And Mistress Minerva have made a protecting frame into which you can spell the other picture,' Kitty intervened.

'What other picture?' Harry asked.

Before Severus could say anything, Kitty cast a spell that placed the picture of Severus and Harry next to the one of Severus and Lily. As soon as the two pictures were frame to frame, the Harry in the picture dragged the older Severus into the frame of the picture taken at Hogwarts.

Severus was at a loss for words.

'I like that,' Harry said with a small voice. Severus looked as if he were about to protest. 'I know you're not my dad. Nothing can bring Mum and Dad back, but I like you. Is that bad?'

Harry's hair was black again, but all Severus could see was Lily's eyes. 'No, Harry,' he said simply.

Harry beamed as if it were his birthday again.

From that day on, Severus started working on a potion that would cure lycanthropy, and when he went back to work in September, the fact that he had promised to keep in touch with Harry made him less harsh with all his students. He was still difficult in Potions classes, but he was no longer bitter.

The Mallard family went back to Washington, but Kitty was kept very busy now that she had to deliver post from Harry to Albus, Remus, Draco, the Weasleys and – mainly – Severus. The poor house-elf also had to deliver message from Kelly to Draco.

Kitty absolutely loved that.

Within just a year, quite a few changes were to take place for the Muggles in Harry's life.

Mike announced that he was seriously planning to retire, and therefore, Gibbs would become team leader – he only had to hire his future team. Gibbs picked up a police officer, Anthony DiNozzo, an ex-Secret agent, Caitlin Todd, and a geek recently recruited by NIS, Timothy McGee.

Ducky and Minerva were waiting for Abby to have a vision about her new colleagues to know whether or not they could tell them about magic.

Shannon, as Kelly had predicted, gave birth to another baby witch in March. Kelly's – and Harry's – newest sibling was baptized Anna.

A few days after the ceremony, Mrs Mallard began forgetting things. Only Harry, for once, felt how important and bad that was. The boy called the only one who would listen to him since even Ducky had dismissed Harry's fears.

Mike and Gibbs's team-in-training were having brunch with the Gibbses at the Mallards' when Severus Apparated straight into the dining-room.

'Now, we'll have to explain,' Abby declared philosophically.

Agent Todd was the first to react, 'What's that, Gibbs?'

'Severus!' Harry exclaimed as he rushed to the Potions master.

Harry jumped up – or maybe flew – into Severus's arms and was hugged as if there were no witnesses to their affection.

'This is Snape. He's a wizard,' Gibbs told Kate Todd.

'No sh…,' Tony DiNozzo began to say, only to be stopped by one of Mrs Mallard's murderous looks.

'It's got to be an illusion. There's no such thing as magic,' McGee protested.

'McGee!' Abby growled. 'I'm a witch!'

'Aunt Abbs's our tutor,' Kelly said.

Severus knew where Harry's room was, and he carried the boy there, leaving the Mallards, the Gibbses and Mike to tell the three latest NIS recruits what was really going on with Kelly and Harry.

With Abby's help, they even managed to allow the Muggles to see Kitty.

Kate, DiNozzo and McGee asked their hosts tons of questions.

In the meantime, Severus was with Harry.

'I came as soon as Kitty told me you needed me. Minerva is going to lecture me for Apparating here unannounced,' Severus said.

Harry shrugged and said, 'I'm sure they can deal with the new guys. They're rather nice. They've got to be quite surprised, but they're going to be okay, I'm sure. I'm so glad you came!'

'You've grown,' Severus noticed as he observed Harry.

'An inch!' Harry said as proudly as if he'd won an Olympic gold medal.

Severus smiled, and he sat down on Harry's unmade bed. Harry hopped onto Severus's lap and hugged him.

'What's bothering you, Harry? Kitty refused to tell me,' Severus said as he wrapped his arms around the child.

'Nana's not well. I have a bad feeling, Sev,' Harry explained.

Harry looked so distressed that Severus didn't bark at the nickname. 'You know that she is a rather old lady, don't you?' he asked gently.

'She's not going to live as long as Minerva because she's never had magic in her, but there's something bad going on in her head. She's forgetting names, things, people. Neither Uncle Ducky, nor Aunt Abby, wants to listen to me because they think she's old. I'm sure there's something else,' Harry declared.

'I'll cast a spell on her,' Severus promised.

Harry kissed Severus's cheek and said, 'Thanks for believing me!'

For the first time, Severus kissed Harry's brow. The boy beamed at him, and Severus felt ninety feet tall.

"He may not be mine by blood, but I'll be damned if I don't call him mine in my heart," Severus thought.

'Shall we go and see how Miss McGonagall and Donald are faring with their explanations, Harry?' he asked.

'And you can have brunch with us!' Harry added.

'I'll have a cup of tea, but it's not yet morning for me,' Severus explained.

'I keep forgetting the time difference. I'm sorry!'

'Don't be. I'll always answer you. I'll be here whenever you need me,' Severus promised.

Once they were back on the ground floor, Harry was about to detour to the kitchen to get a cup for Severus, but Kitty stopped them, arguing that it was her job.

'How are things in the parlour?' Harry inquired.

'The new Muggles is stunned, but they is reacting positively,' Kitty said.

'I'm glad to hear I won't have to Memory-charm them,' Severus declared.

Harry walked back into the parlour holding Severus's hand. He led him to his seat.

By magic, another chair slid next to Harry's.

'I could have summoned it myself,' Severus told Harry as he sat down.

The agents, who would become Gibbs's team, were all gaping at the new demonstration of magic.

'You should be careful with your wishful magic,' Abby told Harry.

'But he's still so young,' Shannon intervened.

'Yes, but he and Kelly must learn to channel and control their powers, otherwise it will be difficult for them to learn to use their wands properly,' Severus declared.

'Sorry,' Harry mumbled.

'You're not about to buy your first wand yet,' Abby said. 'Just be careful.'

Harry grinned and nodded.

The newcomers in Harry's life spent the rest of their brunch asking questions about the Wizarding world in the US and the UK.

One thing led to another, Mike and Abby mentioned Remus Lupin, who was working for the London NIS office, and before anyone could register how it really happened, all the NIS agents were invited to spend their holiday in the Burrow in Hogsmeade.

It allowed them all to get much closer – and Gibbs's team bonded then.

Mike, who had been planning to retire to a Mexican village on the coast, thought he might change his plans when he met Albus Dumbledore. Albus and Mike froze the first time they met, showing to their friends around just how serious their mutual attraction was. Shannon Gibbs laughed quite a lot, because her beloved husband was a very, very good NIS agent, but he'd never suspected that his boss might, in fact, swing both ways.

Harry was happy to be close to the Weasleys again – every other morning Harry and Kelly had breakfast with their red-haired friends on the side of the Burrow that was in Ottery-St-Catchpole.

Abby Apparated to Malfoy Manor in secret, and the American witch convinced Narcissa that it was for the best to allow Draco to visit Harry and that the boys become friends. Narcissa was afraid of Voldemort, but she was ready to do anything to protect her _baby_.

Harry was very happy to be near his British friends, but the best thing for Harry was that he was close to Severus.

Thanks to Harry's observation and instinct, Severus had managed to convince Ducky and Abby that there was, indeed, something weird about Mrs Mallard.

It took them months to pinpoint the problem, but Nana Mallard was suffering from a mild form of dementia. Unfortunately, her condition got worse rapidly.

When Harry turned ten, Severus had quite an astounding gift for him – Severus had found a cure which would restore Mrs Mallard's brain cells.

For once, Abby hadn't seen that coming.

Severus had spelled doses of his potion into sweets that he took with him to the Mallards' Burrow.

Severus had good dramatic timing, and he was the last to arrive to Harry's birthday party.

As usual when Severus arrived, Harry almost flew into his arms.

'Good afternoon, Harry,' Severus said softly.

'Hi, Sev!' the young boy exclaimed joyfully.

'My, my, Mr Potter! What a terrible way to greet a visitor! What will your grandmother say?' Severus said, pretending to scold Harry.

'She no longer reacts,' Harry said sadly.

'She will when you give her these,' Severus said as he handed Harry a paper bag with ten sweets inside. 'There's the exact dose of potion she needs to be healed. This is the first gift I have for you.'

Harry knew Severus would never tease him and pretend he'd found a cure if he hadn't, but at the same time he had a hard time believing anything could improve his nana's mental health. Albus, Ducky and Abby moved towards Severus as soon as Harry went to Mrs Mallard to feed her the magical sweets.

'Have you really found something?' Ducky asked.

'It happened by chance as I was working on a potion for Lupin,' Severus explained.

In fact, one of his batches of possible cure had shown unexpected properties because, as Severus was able to assess later thanks to a spell, a drop of bee venom was on one of the elder flowers he added to his cauldron.

'Was it that venom allowed you to find the cure?' a very interested Abby asked.

'No, it was another incident. I was still working on my first potion, when I thought that I might find something for Mrs Mallard. The dragon liver I added to my other cauldron was from China – not from Norway as it was labelled, I don't think my ingredients supplier is going to make me pay for anything for quite a long time; he feels too guilty about his error. However, that mistake allowed me to find a potion for the Longbottoms. I think the eldest Mrs Longbottom is going to owl you when she's done gaping and crying,' Severus said.

'You healed them?!' Albus shouted.

'They're – quite understandably, by the way – shaken, but they're coherent. When I saw their reactions to my second potion, it was a question of hours before I found something for our favourite Squib,' Severus declared rather smugly.

Mrs Mallard had already eaten about half of the sweets and the hidden potion was already working a bit.

'You're brilliant!' Abby praised Severus.

'You can say that when I've won our bet,' he told her. He turned to Remus and said, 'I'm going to need a willing tester, Lupin.'

'I'm your man, Severus,' Remus declared.

Severus's grin was feral.

'I'm so proud of you,' Ducky told Severus.

The Potions master blushed slightly.

'You'll have to register your potions so they can be sold,' Abby told Severus.

Severus shrugged. 'The Longbottoms were suffering from after-effects of the Cruciatus; I'll have the potion registered under my name, but I won't make any profit on it. The same goes for the cure for lycanthropy. It will be a good thing to rid the world of that curse,' he said.

'Okay, you're really a decent guy under that black armour you've made for yourself,' Abby said warmly. 'However, you should consider selling the other potion to magical folks _and_ Muggles.'

'Why?' Severus asked.

'To help other people like our family who suffer because a member got such a disease,' Ducky said.

'And to make money,' Abby added.

'My wages are enough for my needs,' Severus pointed out.

'You could have your own lab,' Remus suggested.

'You could retire early,' Mike intervened.

Severus didn't look too convinced.

'You could spoil Harry,' Ducky said. 'Or help me pay for his wedding when the time comes.'

Abby grinned because there were fireworks in Severus's eyes at the mere idea of being able to spoil Harry. 'Mum and Dad have connections back home, I'll contact them if you want,' she offered.

Severus nodded.

'It's going to be nice to have you able to spoil Harry until he can access his vaults,' Remus declared warmly.

'His what?' Ducky asked.

'Lily and James had one vault, and the other Potters left everything they owned to James. I imagine Harry gets everything now. He can have his key when he goes to Hogwarts,' Remus explained.

'Did you forget to tell them, Albus?' Severus asked accusingly.

'I'm afraid that it completely escaped my mind,' Albus apologized.

'Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore! I'm afraid you're going to need a dose of our wonderful Severus's potion soon enough,' Mrs Mallard declared.

To everyone around, it was obvious that Nana Mallard was fully back. Harry and Kelly were hugging her for dear life.

'It's a good thing we won't need to spend what's in those vaults,' Mrs Mallard declared.

'If Black kicks the bucket, maybe Harry can add a few knuts to his accounts,' Severus hissed.

'Who's Black?' Gibbs asked.

'Not now!' Ducky whispered urgently.

Severus sighed, but he was ready to do anything for Harry – even help Ducky share the story of Black's betrayal with Gibbs and his team. 'Do you still not mind about my other gift for Harry?' he asked.

'Of course not!' Ducky said.

'Then I'll go and tell him what we're planning. You can tell Gibbs what happened with that _man_,' Severus said.

McGee flinched when Severus almost spat the word "man".

Severus didn't wait for Ducky to even nod his agreement – in fact, those two men knew each other rather well now. As soon as Severus held out his hand, Harry took it, and they went to the boy's room.

'If you don't mind, I'll go to the kitchen to see if Kitty needs help with anything,' Remus told Ducky.

Ducky put one hand on Remus's shoulder and squeezed as he said, 'Go, my dear.'

Remus looked quite shaken when he left the room.

Albus looked older for a brief moment, which prompted Mike to move closer to the old wizard.

'Why do I have the feeling that this is really bad?' Gibbs asked almost rhetorically.

Ducky looked at the three new members of their team – their three new friends; he was really sorry to have to pile up so much on their shoulders, and yet they had to know what they were fighting against.

'Well, you all know that Harry's parents were killed by Riddle, but what you don't know is that they were sold to that lunatic by their best and closest friend – and Harry's godfather,' Ducky explained.

'And you thought it was a good idea not to tell the whole story to Harry?!' Shannon Gibbs growled.

'We don't want to burden him,' Albus intervened.

'I'm not too happy with you sending that kid into an adult war, but the least you can do is tell him everything that happened so that he can have a fair picture,' Shannon added.

'He's so young,' Mike and Molly protested.

Shannon glared at them both and growled at Molly, 'I can understand that you don't want to see Harry involved in the war because if he has to fight, your kids might have to join, too.' She paused and turned to Mike. 'But you, Mike! Would you send one of your agents on the field without giving him, or her, the whole file on the case?'

Mike blushed, and he could find nothing to retort to Shannon. Mrs Weasley knew that Shannon was right, and she was afraid for Harry and for her own seven children.

Ducky decided to tell his friends the rest of the story. He told them who the Marauders were, and how Sirius Black had betrayed the Potters. He even told them how Peter Pettigrew had tried to stop Black, only to be blown up by a nasty spell.

'And all that was left of that Pettigrew fellow was a finger?' DiNozzo asked. The young Muggle was having rather a hard time adapting to the idea of magic.

'That was the last straw that sent Black to Azkaban, the Wizarding jail,' Ducky said.

'The trial must have been painful for Remus,' Kate pointed out gently.

'There was no trial,' Albus said.

'Whoa! Is that legal in your world?' DiNozzo asked, quite outraged.

'No, it isn't, Mr DiNozzo,' Albus said, his voice carrying his sadness. 'You have to understand that Harry's father came from an old and respected family, and Lily was such an astounding witch that her and James's murders prompted people to encourage the Minister for Magic to make an extraordinary decision.'

'I can understand, but it would be better if some kind of proof was registered. It would even help Harry understand what his godfather did,' Kate intervened.

'Did Black confess his crime?' Gibbs inquired.

'Never,' Albus sighed.

'Not even under Veritaserum?' Abby asked.

The young lab tech-slash-seer could have kicked herself for not asking before – then again, she knew that the Fates often had a timing of their own.

'Now you know why Severus is so angry,' Albus told her.

'If his best potion couldn't make Black admit that he'd caused the Potters' death, it's a miracle Severus didn't resort to Dark magic,' Abby pointed out.

'Pity you've got no way to know for sure who blasted the other guy,' DiNozzo said softly.

Abby and Albus froze. Sensing a change of mood, DiNozzo inquired warily, 'What did I say wrong?'

Abby jumped into DiNozzo's arms and hugged him so hard that it was painful. DiNozzo was almost turning blue when Abby let go of him and swirled to face Albus.

'Can you get me in? Officially, that is?' she asked the old wizard.

'To prove that it was Black's magic that killed Pettigrew, the Minister will allow you into the Department of Mysteries as a specialist from the colonies,' Albus said.

'We're no longer a _colony_, Albus,' Mike said with a warm chuckle.

'There are a few things that we are slow to register,' Albus joked.

They all agreed to change the topic. The betrayal of Sirius Black would be explained to Harry when Abby proved with a spell that had been invented just two years before that Black was guilty through and through.

Harry's birthday party was a success, but since he knew that he'd spend the next day with Ducky at Severus's, that would be like another party for the boy.

Kitty would have Apparated Ducky and Harry to Severus's home, but Severus fire-called the Burrow an hour before he was supposed to welcome his guests.

Abby was the one closer to the fireplace. 'What's up, Severus?' she asked.

'I did it, Abby!' Severus said excitedly.

'Uh?' she uttered, completely flabbergasted that he'd used her name for the first time ever. 'Floo over here, Sweetie!' she ordered finally.

There were fireworks in Severus's eyes – making him look a bit as if he were related to Albus (when he's high on sugar).

He'd just materialized through the green flames when Harry jumped into his arms.

'To what do we owe the pleasure, my dear boy?' Ducky asked as he walked into the kitchen.

'I kept Lupin with me yesternight. To make a long story short, he's cured,' Severus said as he hugged Harry back.

'Oi! Don't make it short! I want to hear everything about it!' Abby said.

'Kitty! Tea, please, my Sweet,' Ducky said.

The faithful house-elf already had the kettle in hand.

'Is Remus really cured?' Harry asked eagerly.

Severus sat down, and Harry settled on his lap. 'He is, Harry. We Apparated closer to my side of our street, and I invited him to come and take a dose of potion,' Severus said.

'Why do I have the feeling that this is going to be interesting?' Abby asked, slightly bouncing on her chair.

Severus gave her a real, wide, happy smile. 'It is, Abby,' he said. 'Lupin agreed to become my guinea pig. I gave him a dose of potion, and we both made a mistake that allowed me to find the right way to administer the cure.'

'Tell us!' Abby said, bouncing like a healthy kangaroo.

Ducky grinned and beamed at Severus.

'You know that a few potions have a very foul smell. Lupin was regularly complaining about the smell and taste of the Wolfsbane potion that allowed him to keep his human mind while his curse forced him to transform into a werewolf,' Severus began. They all nodded. He went on, 'Apparently, this potion is even worse than anything Lupin ever drank. When he swallowed the first gulp, it was so awful that it went down the wrong pipe.'

'Poor Remus!' Harry said.

'That was a bad thing that turned good, Harry, because when I tried to help him, the dose of potion ended up directly in his blood stream, and it rid him of the werewolf poison within an hour. Then we experimented a bit,' Severus said.

Abby was jumping up and down by then. 'You went to see other werewolves and healed them!' she declared.

'That we did, Abby. Then we all went to St Mungo's, and my discovery has been registered officially,' Severus said.

'Severus, my dear boy, you're beaming, which is quite understandable considering what you've just achieved,' Ducky said. He paused theatrically and added, 'But why are you almost grinning?'

'Because one of the Healers almost had a heart attack when he understood what I, a former Death Eater, have discovered,' Severus explained.

'I expect you to come back here with Ducky and Harry,' Mrs Mallard declared. 'We will have to celebrate tonight.'

'You don't have to,' Severus protested.

Mrs Mallard walked to him and kissed his cheek. 'Nonsense. You're a member of this family,' she said.

'Yes, Sev!' Abby said.

'_Abigail_!' he pretended to growl.

She winked at him.

'You're the best!' Harry said, which made Severus blush.

Ducky was beaming with pride.

'Severus, you really must come back here tonight,' Abby said with a very soft voice. She was smiling when she added, 'And you won our bet. Today's a good day to give you a protection spell.'

'That might not be wise, Abby,' Severus said. 'We'll need my connection with Riddle when he comes back.'

'After dinner, I'll show you what I could do for you,' Abby said.

'We'll see,' Severus agreed.

'That's all I ask,' the young witch declared.

'I heard you were planning a lot of things today. Maybe you should go now, and if you're back in time for tea, all the better,' Mrs Mallard said.

Ducky, Severus and Harry traded looks – they knew they'd better do as Nana Mallard said.

'Do Master Severus want Kitty to help Apparate?' the house-elf asked.

'No, thank you,' Severus said. He flinched almost imperceptibly and looked at Ducky as he said, 'Well, if my guests trust me to Apparate them.'

'Of course we trust you!' Ducky and Harry exclaimed at the same time.

Severus got up and let go of Harry. 'Hold hands,' Severus told his guests as he took Harry's small hand in his.

With a loud "pop", Severus Apparated into his home. 'Welcome,' he said.

'Thank you! Are you going to tell me what my other surprise is?' Harry asked.

Severus laughed softly. His Harry looked so cute and eager that the boy made Severus feel alive.

'Donald and I agreed that you'll receive your gift after lunch,' Severus declared.

Harry pouted, which made the two adults smile at each other.

'I'll go to the Leaky Cauldron to order lunch. I'm sorry, I should have done that before fire-calling you,' Severus apologized.

Right then, someone knocked on Severus's door.

Severus opened the door and was surprised to see Remus on his doorstep. 'Lupin?' he said.

'I have a little something for you,' Remus said as he showed a basket. 'I remembered you have guests today. I went to the pub once my Healer finally freed me. By the way, you'll be happy to hear that a few civil servants are having a hard time registering that you, Severus, are the one who found the cure for the Longbottoms and for lycanthropy.'

'Really?' Severus asked eagerly.

Remus nodded fervently. 'I think there might be an article about you in the _Daily Prophet_ tomorrow,' Remus said.

'Whoa!' Harry said.

Remus winked at Harry.

'How did you know that we were already here, by the way?' Severus wondered.

'I estimated the time you'd need to share the good news with the family, and I heard you Apparate just as I Floo'ed back home,' Remus said. 'I don't know if it's going to remain that way, but my hearing and sense of smell are still as good as when I was a werewolf,' he added.

Severus's curiosity was piqued.

Remus handed Severus the basket as he said, 'Here's your lunch. I'll find something better with which to thank you, but I thought this would help and save you some time.'

Severus cast a silent spell on the basket to find out what was inside. When he found that there was enough food for a small army, Severus grabbed Remus's wrist and dragged him inside.

'You'll stay with us. I want to check a thing or two on you,' Severus declared.

Harry was happy to see his father's friend included in their lunch – and maybe in the surprise Severus had for him as well. Ducky was delighted to see Severus open up – and somehow grow up emotionally.

Lunch was very nice.

Severus cast a few spells on Remus after dessert, and they allowed him to assess that Remus's senses would remain quite sharp, but not as sharp as when he was infected.

Severus noticed the many scars that Remus sported because of his many painful transformations.

'Couldn't your Healer do something about your scars?' Severus asked.

Remus sighed and shook his head.

'Lupin! There's something you're not telling us,' Severus growled.

Remus sighed again and said, 'Well, I can't cast the Healing spells on my back, and I can't afford to pay for those.'

'May I?' Severus asked, showing his wand.

'Huh?' was all Remus said.

Severus rolled his eyes and cast the Healing spells that repaired Remus's skin.

Remus was rendered speechless when Severus added another surprise for his neighbour and said, 'Albus told me to ask you to go to Hogwarts after I helped you. Now that you can become a member of our staff, I understand that we're going to need a replacement for Professor Vedag when he retires.'

'So you, Aunt Minerva and Remus are going to be my teachers. Cool!' Harry squealed.

Severus pushed his unexpected guest towards the fireplace; he called Albus in his office, and he sent Remus into the Floo Network unceremoniously.

Severus turned towards his two remaining guests and said, 'At least, we'll have someone competent to teach that class now.'

'Abbs said she heard someone say you wanted that class,' Harry said innocently.

Severus sighed deeply and answered, 'That's true. I _wanted_ it. I can teach Potions _and_ Defence against the Dark Arts. I wanted that position because the latest teachers were useless when it comes to being practical on a battlefield. Lupin will be a good teacher.'

'And you'll have a friend of your age in the staff,' Harry intervened.

Severus blinked and before his brain could register what he was saying, he said, 'Yes.'

'D'you want me to take the plates to the kitchen?' Harry asked.

'Yes, thank you.'

At a speed matching that of a Snitch, but without the fluttering wings of the small golden Quidditch ball, Harry gathered their four plates and went to the kitchen.

Ducky walked to Severus and dusted off a bit of soot that had fallen onto the wizard's cheek. 'One day, Remus _will_ be your friend,' Ducky said.

'Lupin?' Severus said in a way that showed he thought that would happen when people ice-skated in hell.

'Yes, Remus Lupin,' Ducky insisted. 'Black used him against you, and you know it. You were scared to death, but you should hate the beast that you made disappear today, not the kind man you cured, healed and sent to Albus to become your fellow.'

Severus shrugged. 'He'll do a decent job,' he whispered.

Ducky gathered Severus in his arms. The Muggle ME was smaller than Severus, and when he held Severus, Ducky's ear was just over Severus's heart.

'I'm so, so proud of you, my dear boy,' Ducky said as he tightened his hold on Severus. Ducky felt a tingle, and he heard Severus gasp and his heart beat faster. 'What was that?' Ducky inquired.

Much to his surprise, Severus hugged him back and even chuckled. 'I'm afraid that you activated another Linking spell,' Severus explained.

'Oh.'

'I'm an adult, Donald. I would have to cast it, too, for it to be valid,' Severus explained.

'Are you going to do it?' Harry asked from the door.

Severus looked deeply surprised.

Ducky was ready to launch himself into a long monologue, but Harry giggled when he felt what had just happened.

'Sev did wishful magic! We're all linked now!' Harry said.

One look at Severus told Ducky that his spell had been reciprocated.

'We'll talk _later_,' Ducky said. 'And _before_ Abby plays with your magical signature. Now you should tell Harry what you want to give him.'

They stopped hugging each other, and Severus walked to Harry. He held his hand out and led Harry to the old sofa where they sat down together.

'I borrowed Albus's Pensieve. If you want, I could share with you a few memories of your mother,' Severus said.

Once Harry was done hugging him, Severus brought the stone bowl into the parlour and put a few strands of memory in it. Severus and Harry dove into the Pensieve together while Ducky monitored the visit.

Harry was walking on clouds when Severus Apparated the three of them back to the Burrow.

Before Mrs Mallard, Minerva or Abby could say a word, Ducky announced that he was going to his study with Severus.

When the three ladies recovered, Harry had already gone to the Weasleys' side of the Burrow and was having tea with Molly and Ginny.

Ducky closed his office door behind them, and Severus cast a spell to protect their privacy. The spell they'd both cast a few hours before had nothing to do with it – it was merely that they knew each other so well now that they thought along the same lines and no longer needed to say aloud what they thought was best to do.

There was a green leather sofa in the corner of the room. They went to sit down there, side by side.

'Do we have to have our spells registered?' Ducky inquired.

Severus sighed and said, 'We can keep the level of magic between us as it is.'

'Severus,' Ducky said with a warm chuckle in his voice, 'this is what we both want. I, a Muggle, did magic to claim you as mine, and you, an adult wizard reciprocated my claim. I know you're probably concerned about what your fellows would say, but you don't have to turn into a Muggle if you accept me as your second father.'

Severus was silent and looked as if he'd been frozen.

'Severus?' Ducky said softly.

'Donald, I have never been concerned about what any of my so-called fellows thinks of me. I'm,' Severus stopped, trying to find the proper word to describe what he felt. He went on by saying, 'Afraid that the Death Eaters or even the Dark Lord, himself, might target you even more than for rescuing our Harry.'

'Son, I don't want not to have you in my life because of a theoretical threat. For all we know, my assistant, Mr Palmer, might well drive us into a wall the next time we go to a crime scene,' Ducky said.

Severus was silent and looking at the floor.

'Severus,' Ducky said softly, 'you will never lose me. Even when I die, my love will stay with you.'

When Severus looked at Ducky, the wizard looked much younger – as if the child trapped inside him needed to be saved and loved.

Ducky took one of Severus's hands in his and asked, 'What do we need to do now?'

Once again, Severus had been reading Ducky's thoughts without warning, and he knew that Harry's Protector really wanted to go one step further with him and to make him his, just as officially as Harry was a Mallard ward.

Severus told Ducky all the magical legal options they had.

They finally agreed on a solution that suited them both. They would tell their family what they'd decided only when everything was official, on parchments, and archived at the Ministry of Magic. However, they had to find a way to reach the Ministry without having Minerva or Abby asking them why they wanted to use the Floo – Apparition was out of question as well, because both witches would hear them, and Abby knew spells to follow them.

Ducky found the best solution: they invited themselves to the Weasleys' side of the Burrow.

There was a door inside the cupboard under the stairs that opened on one side of the Weasleys' attic. Once there, they went downstairs and followed the sound of voices.

'Molly?' Ducky said.

She swirled around and was surprised to find their neighbour and Severus in her kitchen.

Ron and Ginny greeted their two visitors warmly, which was a surprise for Severus.

'Is there anything wrong?' Molly asked worriedly.

'Not at all, my dear, but there's something Severus and I have to do at the Ministry, and we were wondering if we could borrow your fireplace,' Ducky said.

'I'm sorry, but Muggles can't be Apparated or Floo'ed into the Ministry. There's a special entrance,' Molly said. She told them how to proceed, and they Disapparated from the kitchen.

'Do you know why they want to go to the Ministry?' Molly asked Harry.

'Maybe, but I don't know if they'd like me to tell you about it. It'd be better to wait for them to come back,' Harry said.

'Good idea not to spoil their surprise, mate!' Ron exclaimed.

The other Weasley boys came back home (at least, those who were still living at the Burrow – Bill and Charlie had passed their N.E.W.Ts and left home to work abroad), and Arthur came back from work to find Harry still in the kitchen playing games with Ron and Ginny.

'Harry, Dear, we'd be delighted to keep you for dinner, but your grandmother would certainly not be happy with an impromptu invitation. Besides, maybe your uncle Ducky and Professor Snape went straight back to Hogsmeade,' Molly said.

'Maybe you're right, Aunt Molly,' Harry agreed.

'You could come back here tomorrow after breakfast,' Ron suggested.

Harry looked at his friend, and then at Molly, who beamed and nodded. 'Then, maybe I should go back before Nana sends Kitty.'

'Too late,' the house-elf said with a chuckle as she walked to her young master.

'Are Uncle Ducky and Severus back home?' Harry inquired.

'Not yet,' Kitty said.

Harry got up and said, 'Well, I'd better go back home. Thank you for the tea and the games!'

'See you tomorrow!' a chorus of Weasley said.

Harry beamed, and followed Kitty to the Mallards'.

As soon as he arrived, Mrs Mallard asked him, 'Do you know where Donald and Severus went?'

He didn't want to betray his two protectors; therefore, he said neutrally, 'They went to London.'

However, Abby could read his mind and did so. 'They probably went to the Family Register to have their spells recorded officially,' she said.

'How d'you know that? Your eyes remained green,' Harry said.

'I saw it in your mind, Harry,' Abby said as if it were the most natural and common thing to do.

Harry's reaction was not exactly the one she had expected. 'How dare you steal that from me?!' Harry shouted. 'Now they can no longer be the ones to tell you the good news!'

Abby opened her mouth to protest, while Mrs Mallard and Minerva were ready to scold Harry for shouting at his tutor and friend. They never had a chance to say a word for Harry's magic bubbled, and the lessons that Minerva had given Abby about the transformation into an Animagus came back to him, and he transformed into a small, black with bright green spots snake – and he slithered away under the floor between two boards that didn't join well.

When Severus Apparated with Ducky, the three women and their house-elf were trying to coax Harry out.

'What's going on?' Ducky inquired.

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(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	6. Chapter 6

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've almost finished writing this story (over 130 pages already!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

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It was quite peculiar to see the four of them kneeling on the floor and gathered around a small crack.

'You'll have to go back to the Ministry to register Harry as an Animagus,' Abby said.

'Really?' Ducky asked excitedly.

'How did you know that we were at the Ministry?' Severus inquired coldly.

Abby flinched and started fidgeting. 'I read Harry's mind, and then he turned himself into a little snake, and he's under the floor now,' she said.

'He doesn't want to come out,' Mrs Mallard said.

'And Summoning charms have been ineffective,' Minerva admitted.

Without using his wand, Severus immobilized the three women – even Abby didn't have time to react.

'I'm going to Memory-charm them, Harry, but I need you to be out of that hole,' Severus said.

Harry slithered out and transformed back.

'I'm so sorry,' he mumbled.

Severus hugged him tenderly and said, 'There was nothing you could do against Legilimency.'

'Really?' Harry almost sobbed.

'I could teach you Occlumency if you want. Besides, it would be a great advantage against Riddle,' Severus said.

Harry nodded fervently.

Severus turned to his chosen father and said, 'Go with our Harry to your office, I'm going to tailor them a Memory-charm with Kitty's help.'

Ducky and Severus had reached the same strategic conclusion without needing to trade a single word, but Kitty was lost.

When Ducky and Harry were out of the room, she asked, 'What does you have in mind, Master Severus?'

'If we allow them to remember that Harry is an Animagus, they'll insist on registering him at the Ministry in order to prevent any legal hassles later. However, Riddle and his Death Eaters aren't going to fight honourably in this war, and it'd be to Harry's advantage to be able to transform into his Animagus form. If he's caught by someone from the Ministry, we'll tell him to pretend it was the first time he transformed. Not all Animagi are registered,' Severus explained.

Kitty had to agree.

'Kitty will must be the one to cast the charm,' she said.

'Can you?' Severus wondered.

'I decided to protect Harry. I'll do whatever is in my power to do so,' she answered.

Severus decided that it would be wiser not to comment on her change of speech. If his theory about Kitty were correct, he knew he'd better be on her side and not cross her.

Kitty was chanting the spell that would make Abby, Minerva and Mrs Mallard forget what happened since they'd sent her looking for Harry, when Severus retreated to Ducky's office.

Harry was sitting on Ducky's lap when Severus came into the room.

'I love your new surname,' the boy said joyfully.

Severus walked to them and kissed Harry's brow before saying, 'Thank you.'

'What shall we tell them?' Ducky asked Severus. He was trusting Severus's talents as a spy.

'That Harry was waiting here for us to Apparate back home. We'll explain our trip to the Ministry after dinner,' Severus said.

'Won't Abby remember that our Harry can transform into a snake?' Ducky inquired.

'Not with Kitty casting the charm,' Severus said.

'Why don't you want them to know?' Harry asked.

Ducky and Severus told him what they thought about such an advantage on the battlefield. Harry agreed with them and promised to tell his secret to no one – not even Kelly!

'Severus, will you really teach me Occlumcy?' Harry asked.

Severus chuckled warmly and said, 'No.' Harry looked at him with surprise in his eyes, and Severus went on, 'However, I'll gladly teach you _Occlumency_ and Legilimency. I must warn you that it'll be long and difficult to master these spells.'

'I'll do it! I'll do it for you because I don't want to risk betraying you when I have to fight!' Harry declared very seriously.

'Dinner are ready,' Kitty said from the door. 'And everything are in order.'

'Thank you, my Sweet!' Ducky thanked her.

Severus got a phial of potion from one of his pockets and gave a drop of its contents to Harry. 'Your little magical demonstration must have tired you,' he told the child.

Ducky beamed at his adopted son and knew he'd have to mention the possibility of starting to learn mediwizardry; he was convinced that Severus had a gift that had been crushed by years of neglect and abuse.

'Let's join the ladies. We have a few things to tell them, don't we, Professor Prince-Mallard?' Ducky asked.

Severus glared and blushed at the same time.

Ducky stood up, and – much to Severus's surprise – he kissed his adopted son's brow and caressed his hair.

'You don't have to do things like that,' Severus murmured.

'But I want to. I won't do that in front of anybody until you get used to it, but you're mine, Severus, and I love you,' Ducky said.

Slowly, Severus wrapped his arms around Ducky's middle and hugged him. Ducky hugged him back.

Severus looked up at his adopted father. He smiled and said, 'We should go before the ladies hunt us down.'

Ducky nodded, and they went to the dining room.

Harry looked absolutely delighted to see his two protectors joining them; he was really afraid to slip and say something that would help Abby remember what had happened just before Ducky and Severus came back from the ministry. However, Kitty's magic looked more powerful than Abby's – for once.

'You're almost late for dinner,' Mrs Mallard scolded her son.

Ducky went to kiss her cheek and said, 'I apologize, Mother, but Severus and I had something very important to do at the Ministry.'

'What?' Mrs Mallard and Minerva inquired at the same time, which made them smile at each other.

'We did a bit of magic when we were at my home,' Severus said.

'And we both agreed to have our spells registered officially,' Ducky added.

'You did magic?' Minerva asked her companion.

'Again?' Mrs Mallard asked.

'How come I didn't feel it?' Abby wondered suspiciously.

'Possibly because our spells will have consequences in _your_ life,' Severus declared neutrally.

Ducky knew everything Severus had had to do when he was spying on the Dark Lord for the Order of the Phoenix, but he was really proud to see him lie to a genuine seer and use the only flaw there was in her gift.

'What do you mean?' Abby asked.

'Well, Miss Sciuto-McGonagall, your Muggle father by association cast yet another Linking spell,' Severus said. 'On me, this time.'

Abby was gaping, Mrs Mallard was blinking, and Minerva was stuttering incoherent syllables.

Minerva was the first to recover, and she went to hug Severus, who didn't protest.

'Does this mean that you are my grandson?' Mrs Mallard asked Severus.

Severus nodded.

'We must be the weirdest family in the world!' Abby exclaimed happily.

'Abigail!' Ducky and Severus protested.

'We've got to be in the top ten,' Harry intervened.

They all laughed heartily at that, even Severus.

'I'll have to tell Albus about the change,' Severus declared.

'He'll be so happy!' Minerva said joyfully.

Severus chuckled and said, 'Maybe not.'

'Why?' Mrs Mallard asked, ready to bark at Albus if he bothered her new grandson.

Abby had a vision, and she giggled.

'Abby?' Minerva said.

'Well, we met a very kind wizard at the Family Registry, and he told us everything about all the options we had to have our spells registered officially,' Ducky explained.

Kitty arrived with the first course, and they all sat down around the family table.

Severus looked at Mrs Mallard and said, 'You see…' He paused and took a leap of faith as he said for the first time in his entire life, '_Nana_, Albus is going to be somewhat unhappy because he'll have to put a spell on all the official school documents to change my surname.'

'So, you took our name,' Mrs Mallard said happily.

'The spell to do that is quite easy,' Minerva pointed out.

'If I had kept the Snape surname, it would have been easier for Albus, but I asked to take my mother's maiden name,' Severus said.

'Prince,' Minerva said softly.

'Prince-Mallard?' Abby asked.

Severus nodded once in answer.

'That's a very good name, my child,' Mrs Mallard told Severus.

The old lady looked about to start crying.

'Mother?' Ducky said softly.

'I'm yours, but at the same time I'm not a Mallard, and it's the same with Aunt Abbs. Severus is bringing magic back into the family,' Harry said barely above a whisper.

There was so much love in Mrs Mallard's eyes that Severus understood that Harry had to be right. He projected thoughts towards the old lady and asked, "Can you hear me, Nana? If you can, nod, please." She did so, and Severus went on, "Your good heart and your love for us are more magical than most spells."

"Oh, I love you so much, Little one," she thought, not knowing that he could read her thoughts.

"I'm no longer a child," he thought back with the equivalent of a warm chuckle.

She was very surprised, but she told him in another thought, "You're _my_ grandson, Child. Now, you're my baby's baby."

Severus smiled at her.

'Since you're my brother now, maybe I could help you. I'm supposed to meet Albus at Hogwarts tomorrow. If you want, I'll tell him the good news,' Abby offered.

'Or…' Minerva's voice trailed off.

They all waited for her to go on, but when she didn't, Ducky decided to tease her a bit and said, 'Abby is the only seer in this room, and she cannot _see_ what you mean to say since she's linked to you.'

'I think that we could all go to Hogwarts tomorrow. Severus could share his good news with Albus, and then Abby could stay with Albus to help him with the spell at the Ministry. We could show Harry the school,' Minerva suggested.

'Really?!' Harry asked excitedly.

Ducky and Severus were grateful that Harry was so thrilled by the prospect of seeing his future school that he didn't notice what Abby would be doing. Hopefully, they would have time to find a plausible lie and wouldn't have to tell Harry anything about Sirius Black just yet.

When they all agreed, they sent Kitty to ask Albus if he consented to the visit the next day.

Kitty was blushing brightly when she came back with a positive answer. She retreated to her kitchen hastily.

'What happened?' Harry asked innocently.

'She must have met old friends,' Abby lied convincingly.

'It's time to go to bed, Harry,' Ducky said.

'Do I get a story?' the boy asked eagerly.

'If Severus agrees to join us,' Ducky answered.

'Wicked! I'll go brush my teeth!' Harry said. He got up, said goodnight and rushed upstairs.

When they all heard the door of the bathroom close behind Harry, Ducky asked Abby, 'What happened to our Kitty?'

'I think Albus wasn't alone tonight,' Abby explained.

The ladies traded looks.

'Why don't you go to Harry's room, gentlemen?' Minerva suggested.

Ducky and Severus agreed that it was better to flee while the ladies discussed Albus's _social_ life.

Harry was told a Muggle fairy tale. That day had been so full of surprises that he fell asleep rather fast, and his two protectors went back to Ducky's study.

'I can feel that there's something on your mind,' Severus told Ducky.

'I'm just wondering why you didn't read mediwizardry. Your gift with potions could have been complementary to such an activity,' Ducky said.

Severus sighed.

'Severus?'

'My Potions master helped me obtain a Ministry Apprenticeship, but when I was a student there was no Ministry programme to become a Mediwizard… and I couldn't afford it,' Severus answered.

'There is something you're not telling me,' Ducky declared.

'I didn't need the approval of my parents to become a Potions apprentice, but I needed a written consent to learn Mediwizardry. When I was finally old enough to no longer need that consent, I was already a Potions master, a repenting Death Eater and a spy for Albus,' Severus explained.

'Why didn't they give their consent?' Ducky wondered. 'Was it because of money?'

'We didn't have the first Knut to pay for it, and Snape hated me for being a good student – a better student than he ever was… more like Mother,' Severus said.

'Remind me why Necromancy is a bad idea,' Ducky growled.

'Because it'd be a waste of time.'

'And you're mine, now,' Ducky said possessively. 'Severus, I think that you should consider becoming a Healer.'

'No.'

'No?'

'No,' Severus repeated, 'I quite like my potions. However, maybe you'd let be borrow a few of your medical books. If I know more about the human body, then I should be able to improve my potions.'

'You can borrow anything you want. You can ask me whatever you want,' Ducky said.

Severus smiled.

The next day, Abby's cat was sent with a message for the Weasleys. Severus jumped on their kitchen table and delivered the note to Molly.

'What does it say, Mum?' the twins asked in synch.

'Harry will come and say hello as soon as possible, but he's been invited to visit Hogwarts,' she said.

'Wicked!' Ron said.

'Meow!' Severus meowed.

'Of course, you agree,' Arthur told the cat.

'Dad, I think he wants a piece of bacon for delivering the letter,' Ginny said.

'MEOW!'

Arthur shared his bacon with the cat. 'You're not an owl,' he whispered to the cat. Severus growled at that, which prompted Arthur to add, 'But you did a great job.'

The cat purred as he kept chewing.

In the meantime, visitors were Floo'ing into Albus's office.

As soon as Severus arrived (he had one arm wrapped around his adopted father's middle, and both were holding Harry between them), Albus felt that there was something different in Severus's magic.

'What happened to you, my dear child?' Albus asked his Potions master after paying his respect to his other visitors.

'You felt the difference,' Abby declared.

'Is that your doing, Abby?' Albus inquired.

'No, when I should have had a talk with your Potions master about the bet that he won, Ducky and Severus ditched us yesterday to read Harry a Muggle tale. Something else happened,' she said.

'If I remember correctly, Abigail, you were having another fish to fry right after dinner,' Severus said.

Abby blushed, hoping that Severus wouldn't betray her and tell Albus that she'd been discussing Albus's taste in men. Her main hope was that Severus wouldn't put his new grandmother in an awkward position.

Albus's curiosity brought the topic back on track. 'What happened, then?'

'Severus became my grandson,' Mrs Mallard declared proudly.

'I have changed my surname, Headmaster. To Prince-Mallard,' Severus declared.

In the wink of an eye, Albus had moved to Severus's side and hugged him. 'I'm so happy for you,' the old wizard said.

Severus hugged him back and thanked him.

'Maybe Minerva and I could help you change his surname on the school's official documents,' Abby suggested.

'There is no need for that, my Dear,' Albus said. There were some odd twinkles in his eyes.

'Is there some Head secret that you're not planning to share with us?' Minerva teased her old friend.

'It's not really a secret, Minerva. It might be a time-consuming job if the Four Founders hadn't put a special spell on the school register. All I have to do is cross out the old surname and write the new one next to it. The spell is mostly used when there is a wedding, but it works for adoptions, too,' Albus explained.

'I knew there had to be a trick!' Minerva said with a warm chuckle.

Albus smiled and turned to Severus. 'Would you like to do it?' Albus offered.

'If it would work if I were to do it, yes. Thank you, Albus,' Severus said.

Albus loaned one of his quills to the younger wizard, and he summoned the Register. Severus saw his name there, as a student and as a member of the staff; he was tempted to change even the first mention of his surname, but he knew that he wasn't an adult then, and the change wouldn't be legal.

Severus changed his identity, and the millennial magic within the walls of Hogwarts acknowledged the change. Even Mrs Mallard felt the spell, and that made her smile.

'Why don't you and Minerva show our guests the school and the grounds? Poppy is in the hospital wing, and Hagrid should be home. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to borrow our dear Abby and introduce her to Cornelius,' Albus said.

Abby and Albus Floo'ed to the Ministry together.

'Shall we start our visit in my territory?' Minerva asked.

'We're close to your tower, it'd be logical,' Severus declared.

They went to Gryffindor Tower first. The portraits there told Harry a few stories about Lily, and the boy thanked them profusely.

The resident Mediwitch, Poppy Pomfrey, was delighted to meet them – she was even more delighted to be told why the castle's magic quaked a few minutes before, and she congratulated the happy family.

Next, they visited a few classrooms and the Great Hall. Then they went down to Severus's dungeons and the Slytherin common room, which Harry found much more mysterious than the Gryffindor one.

Minerva managed to whisper a very discreet "Quit grinning" to her companion's son, which, of course, broadened his grin.

They ended their quick tour with a visit to Hagrid. The half-giant was absolutely ecstatic to meet the Mallards and Harry again, and he was sincerely happy for Professor Prince-Mallard.

Then, something happened.

It might have been normal to see Albus and Abby join them, but they were almost running – even Albus.

There were many possible explanations for their action, but none of them was to Severus's liking.

As soon as they were close enough, Severus asked, 'What happened?'

'He didn't do it, Sev,' Abby began to say. When Severus glared at her, she added hastily, 'Erus.'

Severus really wanted to explode and yell at Abby that Sirius Black had betrayed Lily and James and caused their death, but he remained composed for Harry's sake. He was surprised to realize how much he was ready to do to protect his Harry.

'What do you mean exactly?' Ducky inquired.

'Pettigrew cast the spell on himself,' Albus explained.

'He was one of the Marauders,' Harry said.

All the adults looked at him, wondering how much he knew – and not daring to ask the boy.

'Maybe you could ask Kitty to take Harry back home now,' Albus suggested.

'Why don't you want to tell me what's going on? I know that two of the Marauders disappeared. I know Pettigrew's dead, but I don't know what happened to Black. What spell did Pettigrew use?' Harry asked.

'It is a very complicated affair. Maybe it would be better if you went home for the moment,' Albus said.

Harry was deeply disappointed that the adults didn't trust him with the new information.

'I could stay with Harry,' Severus said.

'That would be great, because I think we're going to need Kitty's help,' Abby declared.

Severus looked at his father, and Ducky nodded. What the others could not imagine was that Ducky was agreeing to Severus staying with their Harry – _and_ telling him what was really going on. They both knew Harry could keep a secret if need be.

Severus held out his hand to Harry and said to his friends and family, 'You can have Kitty locate us when you're done.'

Severus didn't wait for the others to say anything, and he walked away towards the main gates with Harry.

'What 'appened?' Hagrid inquired.

'Abby and I went to the Ministry to cast a special spell on Pettigrew's finger,' Albus said.

'We wanted to prove that Black killed Pettigrew. Then we could have told Harry what his godfather did,' Abby added.

'But the spell you cast to reveal who killed Pettigrew showed that he cast the spell himself, is that it?' Minerva asked.

Albus and Abby nodded.

'What does it mean?' Mrs Mallard asked.

'Well, Sirius always said he was innocent. This might mean that he's been telling the truth all along,' Albus explained.

'Poor man!' Mrs Mallard said softly.

'There is something more annoying,' Ducky pointed out. 'Pettigrew was never found if I remember correctly.'

'Right. We need to gather and decide what we want to do. The Ministry is not going to react as fast as we'd like,' Abby said.

'What shall we do?' Minerva inquired.

'Call the members of the Order,' Albus said.

'And our NIS team,' Abby declared.

Her green eyes had turned completely black again, showing that she was in seer-mode.

They all went back to Albus's office to try and solve the Pettigrew mystery and to help free Sirius Black, since he certainly was innocent.

Once they were beyond the gates, Severus turned to Harry and asked, 'Where do you want to go?'

Harry shrugged.

'Harry, Darling, Donald and I agreed to tell you what's going on, but you'll agree that it'd be better to discuss this somewhere else,' Severus said.

Harry beamed at Severus, who thought that it was because he'd tell him the truth. Harry had only focussed on the pet-name.

'Where to?' Severus asked.

'London?' Harry suggested.

'I have a bit of shopping to do in Diagon Alley. Is that all right with you?' Severus said.

Harry nodded enthusiastically.

The next instant, they were on Diagon Alley.

'Do you think we could have an ice cream?' Harry asked.

Severus chuckled and nodded.

They were walking towards Fortescue's when Harry stopped abruptly.

'Harry?'

'Draco's there with his parents,' Harry whispered.

Instantly, Severus and Harry wrapped each other in Protection and Linking spells. They retreated to the Leaky Cauldron as fast as possible.

'We could go to the Muggle side of town,' Harry said.

'I don't know the city well,' Severus admitted.

'That could be an adventure!' Harry said.

'Well, we do need to talk about what we did a moment ago,' Severus said.

Harry grinned and said, 'Well, that's just one more secret, and I'm sure Uncle Ducky knew it would happen. I reciprocated his Linking spell the day I showed signs of magic.'

'We still need to talk about what we did. If you don't mind exploring London with me, let's go,' Severus said.

Harry giggled.

'Yes?'

'Well, maybe you should transfigure your clothes first, no?' Harry suggested.

'If Abigail can keep her Muggle clothes all the time, I'll keep my Wizarding robes!' Severus declared.

Harry giggled again.

After all, this was London. A Potions master dressed in black wouldn't seem too weird.

They ended up walking along the Thames, and it was so windy that day that Harry ended up with his hair in his eyes.

'Aunt Abby is going to have to spell it again!' Harry sighed.

'I am convinced she's very gifted, but did Donald ever take you to a Wizarding hairdresser?' Severus asked.

'No,' Harry said.

'Would you like to go to one?' Severus offered.

Harry looked at Severus and murmured, 'I'm sure you could do it with just a thought. Are you trying to not tell me what happened at the Ministry?'

The boy was deeply surprised when Severus engulfed him in a hug and held him tight.

'I want to tell you, Darling. I will have to tell you what we thought happened with Black, but I'll have to tell you how silly I was back then, as well,' Severus said.

'Whatever you tell me, Severus, I love you,' Harry said.

Severus pushed one rebellious lock of Harry's hair away from his eyes and cupped the boy's cheek. He was too moved to tell Harry what happened just yet, and Harry seemed to understand that instinctively.

They sat down on a bench in a quiet corner; Harry settled on Severus's lap.

'Among the many things that we agreed to tell you, there is a prophecy,' Severus began to say.

Severus told Harry about the prophecy that Sybill Trelawney had given to Albus and that Severus had overheard in part. Severus had admitted to sharing the prophecy with Riddle. He told Harry that he hoped Riddle would help him get rid of James Potter and protect Lily. Severus, for all his knowledge in strategy, had never imagined how badly his plan would backfire. Riddle started targeting the Potters, forcing them into hiding.

'There's a spell that allows someone to protect the secret of a location. We thought Black had revealed the secret to Riddle and killed Pettigrew,' Severus explained.

'But that's not what happened,' Harry said.

Severus shook his head and went on, 'There's a new spell that was invented recently that allows to identify who cast a spell. Abby went with Albus to the Ministry to try and prove that Black is guilty; unfortunately, it revealed that Pettigrew cast the spell on himself and cut his little finger.'

'Ew!' Harry said.

The boy looked so disgusted that it made Severus smile.

'Apparently, Pettigrew is not as good as the others wanted to believe. Black always said that he wasn't guilty. The Order is going to try to help get Black out of Azkaban,' Severus said.

'Are there Wizarding attorneys like for Muggles?' Harry asked.

'It's a bit more complicated, Harry,' Severus said with a deep sigh.

'There's something bothering you,' Harry declared.

'There are two things,' Severus said. 'We were all so shocked after what happened to you and,' he had to pause to take a breath, and only then did he go on, 'your parents that Black was sent to jail without a trial.'

'Okay, I gathered that he's a bully, but that's really unfair! One must abide by the laws,' Harry declared.

Severus chuckled and said, 'You sound like Jethro.'

'I don't know what I want to be when I'm a certified wizard, but I'll be an NIS agent when I'm a grown-up,' Harry declared seriously.

Severus ruffled Harry's hair and said, 'Then Jethro is a good role-model, and DiNozzo, as well.'

Harry nodded fervently and added, 'The team is good. Abbs is a goddess in her lab, Tim is great with computers and Kate kicks ass!'

'Language, Harry. We don't want Nana to hex us,' Severus said.

Harry nodded. 'What is the other thing that's bothering you?' he asked.

'There's something very big and important in your past that no one has mentioned yet because we didn't want to hurt you,' Severus said.

Harry paled and Severus wrapped his arms around the boy. 'What is it?' Harry asked bravely.

'You were given a godfather. Sirius Black remains your godfather to this day,' Severus explained.

Tears rolled down Harry's cheeks and he wailed, 'I don't want him in my life! He tried to kill you! He betrayed Remus, too!'

'Harry, your mum agreed. Lily made him your godfather, too,' Severus said as he cuddled the boy.

'Why?' Harry asked.

'I don't know, Darling,' Severus admitted.

Harry took a very deep breath and asked, 'Is there something that could be done to break that link?'

'Not before you're a certified wizard,' Severus said.

'It's a good thing Uncle Ducky's Linking spell is stronger than anything else,' Harry declared.

'That's true. How do you know that?' Severus asked.

'When I was old enough to understand why Uncle Ducky was my uncle Ducky, but not _Dad_, he explained as much as possible. I was very afraid that someone would come and take me from home, and I asked if that could happen. Aunt Minerva promised that no one could do that ever,' Harry explained.

Now that Harry had linked with him, too, Severus was ready to hex anyone who threatened their bond and their love. If Sirius ever got out of Azkaban, he'd never take Harry from Severus and Ducky – Severus would use the Killing curse before he'd let that happen.

'We'll have to ask Remus why Mum didn't make him my godfather. He's quite a good man,' Harry said.

Now that Severus could see things more calmly, he could admit that of all the Marauders, Lupin had been the only decent one. Lupin had never teased and belittled him the way Potter, Black and Pettigrew had. Now, years later, Severus could understand that Lupin had had no choice but to follow the others because one single word from them would have had him expelled – or worse.

'Well, until recently, Remus had a little problem once a month,' Severus pointed out.

Harry shrugged and said, 'Not fair!'

Severus ruffled Harry's hair again. This time, Harry ended up with bangs in front of his eyes.

'Okay, maybe we should do something about my hair,' Harry said, laughing this time.

They were walking back towards the Leaky Cauldron to enter Diagon Alley when they crossed one street where there was a colourful Muggle hairdresser salon. Harry looked absolutely fascinated.

'Would you like to try this one?' Severus suggested.

'Really?'

'Why not? I don't know much about Muggles, Harry, but I don't mind them,' Severus said.

'How kind of you, Mr Wizard,' someone said from the door.

A man was standing there; he looked about Severus's age, was a few inches smaller and just as lean and muscled as Severus. It was easier to notice his good built because he was wearing a tight pink T-shirt and black leather trousers.

The only thing Harry noticed was the Japanese socks the man was wearing.

'Cool socks!' Harry exclaimed.

'Come on in, Dad and Sonny, it's quiet today, I'll do something for Baby Wizard's hair,' the man said.

Harry eagerly followed him, and Severus followed, in shock.

The hairdresser invited Harry to sit down in a chair.

'Oh, my God! We're going to need old directories to have Baby Wizard high enough on the chair!' the man exclaimed theatrically.

Severus was paling steadily, and Harry finally noticed it.

'What's wrong, Severus?' he asked worriedly.

'No… Nothing, Harry,' Severus lied.

The hairdresser looked at Severus as if he could use Legilimency, and he declared, 'Who gives a damn if he's not yours by blood?! The kid loves you as much as you love him.'

'You're quite an insightful Squib, Sir,' Severus said.

'Well, I had to pay attention. When I grew up, my relatives with magic took to casting spells at me; they said it was to make me react. When I didn't get a Hogwarts letter, my dad tossed me out,' he explained quietly.

Harry shuddered and asked, 'What did you do?'

'I did nothing. My Muggle dad punched the light out of my biological father when he saw him tossing me out of the house. Daddy fought to adopt me, and he didn't toss me out of the house even when I told him I'm a fairy,' the hairdresser explained.

'Huh? You can't be a Fairy,' Harry said.

The Squib turned to Severus and asked, 'Too young for the birds and bees?'

'No, but no slang at home or his grandmother would curse everybody, even if she's a Squib, like you,' Severus answered.

'She's your nana, too!' Harry objected.

Severus's cheeks coloured slightly.

'My, my, I'm glad I wanted a fag when I did, and I saw you. You sound like an interesting bunch!' the hairdresser declared.

'Look who's talking!' Harry retorted with a wide grin.

While Harry got a free haircut, Alan O'Neill told them the story of his life, and Severus and Harry told him theirs.

'You still haven't explained what a Fairy is when it's not a magical creature,' Harry pointed out.

Severus and Alan traded looks.

'He's your kid!' Alan protested.

Severus sighed and said, 'Alan is like Albus and Mike, he prefers men. The name he used is one of the many words in slang to call men with such taste.'

'Is it a bad name? Would Nana be angry if I were to use it?' Harry inquired.

'I can use that word because this is what I am, little one. Usually if this is not your inclination, it takes a darker meaning. It can be an insult,' Alan explained.

'That's a pity! It's such a pretty name!' Harry said.

Alan beamed at Harry, and then swirled to Severus to say, 'You have a treasure here.'

'I know,' Severus said simply.

A patron came in, and Alan's colleagues were not yet back from their long lunch break; therefore, he had to take care of that client.

'Are you sure you don't want us to pay you?' Severus asked in a very low whisper.

'It's on me, Baby,' Alan said. 'If you want to come by again, I'll do something for your hair.'

'What's wrong with it?' Severus asked petulantly.

'Now that you're an adult, you shouldn't hide behind it,' Alan declared as he walked his next client to a chair.

'That's what Lily used to say,' Severus murmured.

'Come back whenever you want, Love. For a haircut or just for a chat over a cup of tea,' Alan said. Before Severus could protest, he added, 'You look like you need it.'

'Bye, Alan!' Harry said joyfully.

Severus bowed, and Alan winked before turning all his bubbling attention to his new client.

'I could eat a dragon!' Harry declared.

Severus piloted them back to the Wizarding pub, where they devoured a late lunch in a private booth.

.

(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	7. Chapter 7

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've finished writing this story (153 pages!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

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While Severus and Harry were deepening their bond, the Order of the Phoenix was re-forming its ranks and adding a few new members.

Shannon and Jethro Gibbs were happy that their daughter was playing with the Weasley kids at the Burrow; they didn't want their little witch to see just how twisted a few members of her future community could be. Gibbs was disappointed to see that a man had been sent to jail without a fair trial, but Shannon was positively furious about it.

Tim McGee was the one who quieted everybody when he pointed out that unfair things of various degrees happened every day to very good people, who didn't deserve such ordeals, and that now they had to work to free Black.

'How difficult is it going to be to get your Ministry to free Black?' Tony DiNozzo asked. 'We don't want them to give him an apology; that's not the point. They've tossed him in jail, now they can get him out.'

Alastor Moody snorted.

The newcomers in Albus's office were rather surprised – and maybe a few of them were ill-at-ease – with the old Auror's physical appearance (particularly his magical eye).

'So, what can we do?' Gibbs asked.

'Are we going to have to send someone to rescue that poor man?' Kate Todd asked.

'There's no way to get into Azkaban to help him,' Moody explained.

'Not even by sending house-elves?' DiNozzo inquired.

The wizards and witches who were present flinched when they felt Kitty's raw power bubble with anger.

'What?' DiNozzo asked.

'Let's just say that it's impossible,' Arthur Weasley said softly.

DiNozzo looked at Kitty, and she glared at him. 'Do you have an issue with rescuing an innocent, or is there something in Azkaban that prevents you from helping?' DiNozzo asked, digging himself in deeper.

'Kitty would not gave Sirius Black a drop of water if he be dying of thirst,' Kitty spat before dissolving into thin air.

'There's something I'd like to know,' DiNozzo said. 'Are we going to rescue an innocent or the son of Lucifer? Kitty's a nice person, and I've never seen her so furious.'

'Sirius is innocent of the crime for which he was sent to Azkaban, but he was not a perfect pupil while at Hogwarts,' Albus declared.

'The kid was a bully, who almost fed Severus to Remus while he was transformed. Our poor Remus could have eaten Severus if Harry's dad hadn't rescued Severus,' Mike intervened.

Albus glared at his lover for spilling the beans that way.

'Talk about years in therapy,' McGee said softly.

Remus turned to him and said, 'I was only the wolf that night. The Wolfsbane potion that allowed me to keep my human mind while transformed hadn't been invented yet. I could have killed Severus and not remember it. He's the one who had a hard time being in the same room with me afterwards – and I must say I understand him.'

'He must have recovered if he found a way to heal you,' Kate pointed out.

'Maybe he merely wanted to rid of world of such a threat,' Remus retorted.

'Maybe a bit of both,' Kate said stubbornly.

They all smiled at her.

For the first time since the beginning of the meeting of the Order, Mrs Mallard spoke, instantly getting everybody's attention, 'Would there be a way to blackmail the Minister for Magic and make him release Black?'

Albus shook his head. Most of the others were a bit shocked at such a suggestion, but Moody started appreciating the old lady; he found her twisted and courageous.

'Maybe,' McGee began to say before his voice trailed off.

'Yes, McGee?' Gibbs encouraged his youngest agent.

'Maybe a relative or someone he respects could make him understand that leaving an innocent in jail is disgraceful and unfair,' he said.

'It's either that, or one of us resorts to the Imperius curse,' Moody pointed out, just loud enough for Albus to hear him.

Albus was ready to fight dirty on a battlefield, but he didn't want to become like the Death Eaters who used the Unforgivable curses as if they were simple spells.

'Maybe I could convince his wife to help us,' Abby declared.

They all agreed that it was worth a try. Just before she Floo'ed to the Minister's home, Minerva transfigured Abby's clothes into traditional witching robes, which made the young woman growl.

'Mrs Fudge is very conservative. She wouldn't listen to you if I hadn't changed your outfit,' Minerva explained.

Abby looked at her new robes and wailed, 'This is horrible!' She paused for a few seconds and added, '_Mummy_.'

Minerva chuckled and shook her head.

'Imagine that this is a disguise like when you've got to go to court and you must wear a suit,' Kate told her friend to cheer her up.

Abby smiled, and went on a mission to get unusual, but much needed help. Within the hour, she came back with Mrs Fudge's promise to help free Black.

In the meantime, Albus and the older members of the Order told the new ones as many details as they could about the first war against Voldemort – they all knew that it would be vital information they'd have to make good use of, even before Harry was a certified wizard. The odds were that the mad wizard and his power-hungry followers would try something before Harry was fully trained.

Those with military or paramilitary training among the new members knew that it would be logical to see Riddle attack when Harry was still in training.

Riddle and his Death Eaters were in for a surprise, because Harry would have friends and family by his side to help him.

The other big problem that the Order had on its plate was the current location of Peter Pettigrew. That wizard had a bit of explaining to do.

The Hogwarts house-elves provided them with a nice lunch. They were enjoying a delicious pudding when a flying letter from the Ministry arrived through the Floo. The letter was for Albus from Fudge; the Minister said that he would agree to free Black immediately if Albus guaranteed that the man would be kept quiet. The Ministry would declare Black officially innocent, but if there was too much publicity about the case, something would be found to justify sending Black back to jail.

There would be no monetary compensation for the nine years spent in jail, and no treatment would be provided for the man, whose sanity might never be restored.

Albus would have to keep Black quiet and out of the media attention.

That was the best they could hope for, and they all knew it.

Albus wrote a few words in answer under the Minister's missive, and the letter transfigured itself into Black's pardon.

'I'll go rescue the poor lad if you want, Albus,' Moody said.

'Thank you, Alastor!' the Headmaster said. He turned to his resident Mediwitch and asked, 'Can you help us take care of him?'

'I'll have to assess the damages to his brain and check the state of his body before I can tell you how much he'll recover – or if he'll ever recover, but I'm ready to help you, Albus,' Poppy declared.

'If we keep him in the hospital wing, maybe we won't have to tell Harry anything before Sirius makes a decent godfather to meet,' Albus said.

'We'll have to ask Harry if he wants to meet Black,' Ducky declared.

'But Sirius is his godfather, and as he claimed all along, he didn't betray James and Lily,' Albus countered him.

'In case you haven't noticed, Harry loves Severus. Besides, I think he already knows quite a lot about the Marauders – and you'll have to keep in mind that Harry is as curious as a cat – and quite resourceful. Severus and I agreed that he should be told more about Black, and knowing my Severus, Harry has been told everything by now,' Ducky said.

'Why did you do that?!' Moody barked.

'Because Harry is MY responsibility, and it would be a terrible mistake to keep important information from him,' Ducky answered coldly.

Moody's magical eyes rolled around and he said, 'There are sparks of magic flying off you when you defend the kid! Interesting phenomenon.'

That statement made the others chuckle, and Ducky stopped counting the ways to make the body of an Auror disappear without a trace.

Moody went to Azkaban, and Poppy went to prepare the hospital for an extraordinary visitor.

'Maybe we could call Severus and Harry. There are a few things that I need to discuss with my brother,' Abby declared.

Ducky coaxed Kitty back into the office, and she was sent to bring them back.

Kitty was blinking when she arrived with Severus and Harry.

'What happened now?' Abby inquired.

'We were in a pet shop, and our Harry is a Parselmouth,' Severus said.

The witches and wizards gave a collective gasp.

'Severus explained that it must be because Riddle left that ability in me when he tried to kill me and his spell backfired,' Harry said bravely.

'We'll find a way to rid you of that,' Abby promised.

'What's wrong with the kid?' DiNozzo asked.

'I can talk to snakes,' Harry explained.

DiNozzo gaped and blinked. Gibbs cuffed the back of his head.

Harry giggled at that and declared, 'Okay, if only for that, it was worth it!'

Severus noticed that the members of the Wizarding community were looking at Harry differently now. He wrapped an arm possessively around the boy's shoulders and hissed at the others, 'How ignorant are you? This is not Dark magic; Parseltongue was a gift that ran in Slytherin's family. I will not have any of you look at Harry as if he were dangerous because of something that Riddle did!'

'Speaking of things that Riddle did. Let Ducky take care of Harry for a moment, I have an offer for you – now that you won our bet, and especially now that you have a new name,' Abby said as she dragged Severus outside Albus's office.

'Poor Sev,' Harry said with a chuckle when he was sure that Severus was too far to hear him.

'I see you've got a new haircut,' Ducky said.

'Yup! We met a cool Muggle with very weird socks. That was just after Severus told me about Black and Pettigrew,' Harry said. 'What news on that front?'

'Maybe you should go to the Burrow,' Albus suggested.

Harry glared at the Headmaster and said, 'If you're planning to keep secrets from me, I'm not going to play along. I'm neither Abbs nor Kel', and I'm not going to be a pawn in this.'

'I'm not going to keep anything important from you,' Ducky swore.

Albus was glaring at Ducky when Mike put a hand over Albus's arm and attracted his attention to Mrs Mallard. The old lady's look was murderous and made Albus gulp. He finally decided that sharing information with Harry might not be such a bad idea if he didn't want a Squib to find a way to hex him – and he wouldn't put it past Abby to help Mrs Mallard if need be.

Severus and Abby didn't go far. They went down the corridor and sat down on the top of the stairs.

'I can destroy your Dark Mark in a way that would make Riddle and the other believe – truly believe that _Snape_ is dead,' Abby explained.

Severus sighed and said, 'I know that he's not dead. He's somewhere trying to regain strength and power. When he comes back, I must be there to spy on him.'

'No, not if we've got Narcissa Malfoy on our side. She knows that her idiotic spouse will not abandon Riddle straightaway. She's quite a lioness for a Slytherin, and she wants to protect her son as well as the baby she's expecting. She doesn't want them to be dragged into a war to please Riddle,' Abby said.

'There are things that Lucius would refuse to share with her,' Severus pointed out.

Abby took a piece of parchment from her sleeve and handed it over to Severus as she said, 'Except if you provide her with a regular supply of that.'

Severus looked at the potion recipe and blinked. That could work; such a potion would make Voldemort himself reveal all his secrets without him noticing a thing.

'It's perfect,' Abby declared. 'Let us help you.'

'Will you give me a day to think about it?'

'Of course, besides I can only cast the spell during the next full Moon,' she said.

He nodded, and they went back to the office, where the others were devising plans to find Pettigrew.

While Abby suggested a few Voodoo possibilities, Kate noticed that Severus looked somewhat distressed. She moved closer to him.

They all agreed that locating Pettigrew was as important as freeing Black. DiNozzo even pointed out that it might be a bit more important to locate Pettigrew because if people noticed that the Ministry had exonerated Black, then the wizard, whom everybody thought dead and a hero, suddenly became a liar and a possible threat.

Abby and Albus cast spells together in an attempt to locate Pettigrew, but they failed.

The members of the Order agreed that helping Black and finding Pettigrew had to be their priorities.

Before Moody came back with Black, Severus declared that he would leave. Harry didn't want to stay either, but the boy instinctively knew that his second chosen father-figure needed to spend a few moments alone. Harry called Kitty, and with Ducky's blessing went back home after saying goodbye to everybody.

When Severus left Albus's office, Kate followed him.

'Kitty won't stay long at the Burrow, Miss Todd. She will be available to transport you back to Washington momentarily,' Severus told her.

'I know,' Kate said softly.

'Is there something I can do for you, then?' Severus inquired.

'No,' she said. 'I was wondering if there is something I could do for you.'

Severus blinked. He was far from being used to having beautiful women taking care of him. The only woman who had ever briefly cared for him, he had driven away – and he had a part in her death.

Kate saw him pale dreadfully.

'Abby, Mrs Mallard and Ducky are quite astounding, but I think that you need to talk. Maybe you need to find another way to mourn for what you've lost,' Kate declared.

'Mourn?' he repeated.

In fact, he'd been too devastated to mourn after Lily's death, and he thought it was too late now.

Kate didn't understand his surprise and went on, 'Yes, there are many traditional ways to say goodbye – or you could invent a new one to suit you. You need to close your wounds, but it doesn't mean that you have to stop thinking about the past. You look like someone who needs to heal.'

'How could I do that when I remember everything about her, and I know she's gone forever?' he asked in a sad whisper.

'Don't you believe in a form of after-life where you could meet her again?' she asked. She paused and added, 'Do you pray?'

Severus looked utterly lost.

'I know that Mrs Mallard was a member of the Church of Scotland when she was younger. I concluded she must have left the Church when she had Ducky out of wed-lock,' Kate said.

'Why?' Severus asked, looking so innocent and lost on this particular Muggle issue.

'You really know nothing about religions,' Kate said gently.

Severus shook his head.

'There are many, many denominations, you know. I know that your father leans towards the Church of England. One Sunday, he accompanied me to church; he teased me because he found that the Roman Catholic mass is no longer as beautiful and full of pomp as the Anglican High Church services,' Kate said.

Severus still looked lost.

Kate smiled at him and went on, 'I can see that you're lost. Don't you think that a bit of spirituality might help your heart and your soul?'

'I don't deserve it,' he murmured.

'That's not for you to decide,' she declared.

Severus shook his head stubbornly.

'There's a place I'd like to visit while I'm here,' she said as if she were changing topic. 'Would you help me go there?'

'Where?' he asked.

'Oxford.'

'There's a small magical community there. I could help you Floo there from my quarters if you'd like,' he offered.

She nodded and followed him. Kate noticed that Severus's quarters looked more like a cell in a medieval prison than the place where a teacher lived, but she didn't comment.

Once in Oxford, she piloted him as if she were living in that city.

Severus thought that she wanted to see the Bodleian when they entered Christchurch, but she led him into the cathedral.

'I believe in Heaven. According to my Faith, Lily is watching over Harry… and you,' she said as she sat down on a wooden pew.

Severus looked around, curious about the place and enjoying its quiet and its light. He took a few steps towards the altar and sat down, as well. He said softly, 'I don't know much about your faith, Miss Todd, but I think I've heard a few things here and there. Our students of mixed heritage sometimes mention things, and I listen to them. And…'

'And?' Kate encouraged him.

'I have lost Lily forever,' he said.

Two men had entered silently, and they only overheard Severus's last sentence. One was a deacon; the other was a foreign teacher and an old friend of the deacon.

'Severus…' Kate didn't know what to say. 'Harry's mother was a member of your community,' she tried.

'I don't really know what it means, but her family was Anglican,' Severus said.

'But not Potter. If they didn't believe in the same things, maybe there's hope,' Kate said. She knew that she was grasping at straws.

'Lily's dead. All that is left of her is Harry. I'll have to protect him and give him what I couldn't give her,' Severus said. He wasn't really talking to Kate.

'Maybe there is another faith that could help you and bring you peace. There's more than one possibility. I want to believe that there's something that could help you,' Kate said.

'Dear Miss Todd, I thank you for your kindness, but there is no way for me to make amends now,' Severus said, looking straight ahead at the altar.

'Of course there's a way,' the deacon and his friend said in synch.

Kate felt that her prayer to help Severus had been answered when she saw him swirl around with curiosity in his eyes.

'John, I think your faith isn't what this gentleman needs. No offence,' the visiting teacher declared.

'None taken, my dear. You know I'm a practical man, and my faith isn't threatened by yours,' John told his friend.

Kate and Severus observed the two men. John was wearing black robes that looked remotely like Severus's, and his friend was dressed in black oriental robes.

'What hope could there be when Lily's dead?' Severus inquired neutrally.

'Your friend and mine believe in Heaven and Hell, and _one_ God granting eternal life to deserving souls after death,' the Asian man declared.

'You are reducing everything, Yuki!' John protested.

'I'm merely mentioning the essence of your belief. My Zen must be interfering,' Yuki teased his friend.

'Zen is a philosophy, isn't it?' Kate intervened.

'It is much more complicated, Miss,' Yuki said. 'In my family, we practise both Shinto and Buddhism. It is not the same thing, and at the same time we do not mind. We find comfort in the parts that suit us. To give you an example, my wife and I do not deal with death and birth in the same way.'

'We heard that you've lost someone, Sir,' John told Severus.

Severus merely whispered when he said, 'I insulted her, lost her, and she was murdered.'

'Maybe you will meet her again,' Yuki declared.

'My soul is tainted forever,' Severus whispered, looking at the floor.

'Not necessarily. It's obvious that you aren't linked to any denomination right now, but maybe you can find answers in several philosophies and beliefs. Do you know what will count in the end?' Yuki declared.

Severus shook his head.

Kate was mentally crossing her fingers – and everything that was crossable, since she was doing it mentally – and she was praying with all her heart that Yuki had been sent to help Severus mourn properly and heal his heart and soul.

'Your faith. If you do believe that making amends can change you, if you do believe that there is a way to be reunited with the one you've lost, if you do believe that there could be a new incarnation where everything could be different, if you are strong enough to keep seeing the light and be faithful to it, then there is hope,' Yuki declared.

'He's right,' John said seriously.

Kate nodded and added, 'Whatever name you give to your belief and your God or spiritual guide, all that matters is that you have faith.'

'I think that you should read a few things about Asian beliefs,' John said.

Yuki nodded and said, 'And then, when you know the possibilities, you can choose your path. Nothing is impossible.'

Severus looked lost again.

Yuki chuckled and said, 'Rome wasn't built in a day. Take one step at a time.'

Severus nodded.

John and Yuki had to leave, but they encouraged Severus and wished him luck on his journey. When they were gone, Kate walked to Severus. She pushed a lock of hair away from his face and kissed the skin just above the corner of his eyebrow.

'Something more Oriental would suit you, Severus. I'd like you to think about what we've said. I'll go back home now, but if you want someone to talk to, I'll always be here for you, I swear,' Kate said.

'I must escort you home, Miss Todd,' he objected.

'_Kate_.'

He nodded once.

'Kitty can hear me. She can come and pick me up. Too much has happened today, and you need a break,' she said. Once more, she pushed his hair away and kissed his cheek. 'There is hope, my friend. We are on the side of light.'

Severus was stunned by her words. He was so surprised that he didn't say a word when she left.

Kitty had already transported the NIS agent back to Washington when Severus finally reacted.

He would never have imagined that Lily's son would love him enough to choose him by magic to be a Protector, but Harry had wrapped him in magic just a few hours earlier. Severus couldn't have imagined either that Black might be innocent and that Pettigrew was still alive and hiding somewhere.

Severus had to admit that he was touched by Kate's concern. She may not be a witch, but she was very nice, and he could tell that she wanted to help him (it was for Ducky's and Harry's sakes, but she cared for his well-being and for his soul as well).

Severus strolled around and ended up in front of Blackwell. He entered the bookstore and browsed the philosophy and religion sections.

After a few minutes, he found a book that addressed a few of his deeper questions.

He knew that his new father could help him see things more clearly, but Severus wanted to do a bit of research first.

He realized that he only had Wizarding money in his pockets and was about to reluctantly put the book back on its shelf when he heard a chuckle next to him.

'We accept _all_ currencies,' one of his former Slytherins declared.

The young witch had passed her N.E.W.Ts two years ago, and she'd married her Muggle boyfriend against her family's advice.

'Do you?' Severus asked her.

She nodded fervently.

'Thank you, Altair,' he said. He looked at her, so comfortable in the Muggle surroundings, and asked, 'Is everything all right?'

She nodded once and said, 'I act like everybody else here, but I'm still a witch at home. My other half doesn't mind magic; he's not the way my parents described the Muggles.' She looked at the book he had chosen, and picked out another one from the shelf. 'This one is good, too,' she said.

'This is very kind of you,' he thanked her.

'I'm just doing my job well, Professor Snape,' she said.

He grinned and said, 'It's Prince-Mallard now.'

The young witch blinked several times, lost.

'That is the result of an adoption,' he enlightened her.

'That's a very nice name, Sir, and I'm glad to hear you've got a new family. There's nothing like it to make you feel better,' she declared.

Severus was rendered speechless. If a Pureblood witch and a Slytherin could change and have a Muggle job for love, then maybe he could find something to give him hope. If there was a faith that allowed him to believe that he could one day have a chance with Lily, then Severus wanted to find it and embrace it.

He bought the two books and immediately started reading the first he'd found. He ended up walking in an alley that was a bit dark, and he caught his reflection in a shop-window. Of course he looked older and was an adult now, but he felt as if he were still caught inside the skin he had when the Marauders were bullying him.

Then and there, he decided that things had to change, and he Disapparated to London.

His magic instinctively brought him near Alan's salon. Said Alan was outside, smoking.

'Have you decided to accept my offer, Love?' Alan asked good-naturedly.

'What do you suggest?' Severus asked warily.

Alan smiled and held out his hand; he was delighted when Severus took it as if it were completely natural.

Alan's fellows tried to tease him about his new _friend_, but with only one glare from Severus, they stopped talking entirely.

'My, my, you should come here more often, Love. This is the first time ever that it hasn't sounded like a beehive in here!' Alan declared theatrically.

The two patrons who were in chairs chuckled warmly, which made their respective hairdressers pout at them.

Alan invited Severus to sit down and asked, 'So, Love, what happened to make you come back here so soon? Not that I'm complaining, mind you.'

Severus looked at Alan's colleagues and the patrons. He could not mention magic in front of them, but there were things that he could share with the Squib.

'Too much happened today, and then I caught my reflection in a window,' Severus said softly. 'There are things in the past that I cannot and will not forget, but I'm no longer a child.'

Alan pushed Severus's hair away from his face and smiled. 'You are so buying me a drink. We can talk quietly then,' he said.

'Would the Leaky Cauldron be all right?' Severus asked.

'If you don't mind being seen with a gay Squib,' Alan said.

His voice like a velvety purr, Severus answered, 'I do not know what you mean, Mr O'Neill, you're the hairdresser I trust enough to cut my hair. You're the first since I passed my N.E.W.Ts.'

Alan beamed and said, 'You can be very sweet, Love.'

Severus shrugged.

'Do you trust me to change your hairstyle, Sev?' Alan asked.

Severus paled instantly. '_She_ was the only one to call me that,' he said softly.

'Okay, Love, that'll remain her privilege,' Alan paused on purpose and added theatrically, 'and Harry's.'

'It's true that I allowed him to call me by the name his mother used, but he can be so much like her that I must admit I caved,' Severus said.

Alan smiled warmly. 'So, new hairstyle, Love?'

'I can always spell my hair back if I don't like the results,' Severus said good-naturedly.

Alan pouted, which made Severus chuckle. 'I deal with children on a regular basis. Pouting will have no effect on me,' Severus declared.

'Spoilsport.'

Alan pretended to pout even more, but he started working on Severus. He began growling as soon as he realized that getting rid of the potions fumes on Severus's hair would take a bit of work. Alan knew his efforts were worth it when he saw and felt Severus relax, thanks to a thorough scalp massage.

Strand by strand, Alan cut Severus's hair. In fact, he matched Severus's new hairstyle with Harry's – of course, Harry's hair was still irremediably unruly, like James's, but Harry and Severus looked strangely related now, thanks to Alan's work.

Severus insisted on paying Alan, but he only had Wizarding currencies in his pockets.

'We'll just have to stop by Gringotts,' Severus declared.

Alan looked so happy to go to Diagon Alley that Severus knew how to thank his new (and quite unexpected) friend. Severus didn't mind being seen in the company of a Squib, and he didn't mind linking arms with Alan. When they got out of the salon, leaving Alan's friends to close, Alan was leaning on Severus because he wanted the wizard to open up, but as soon as Alan spotted the sign of the Leaky Cauldron, he became nervous, and Severus placed a soothing hand over Alan's hand.

'No one will hex you or say anything unpleasant, I promise,' Severus said.

Alan still looked a bit unsure, but glares from Severus instantly quieted the few wizards and witches who were looking at Alan as if he were less than a Wizarding pet.

The goblins at the bank were civil with Severus's friend, which deeply surprised Alan.

Once they were outside on Diagon Alley, Alan took Severus's arm again and said, 'I was eleven when my biological father tossed me out, and afterwards I never came back here, but I don't remember the goblins ever being that nice to anyone. You've got to be more important than you said you were.'

Severus laughed softly and shook his head several times. It felt strange to no longer feel his semi-long hair, but this was helping him feel different, more mature and stable – and of course, the fact that the style was the same as Harry's helped him focus on the particles of magic that Harry had given him to show his love and Harry's wish to protect him.

He beamed at Alan and said, 'I have invented a few potions quite recently. Abby seems to believe that one of them could make me a rich man. It looks as if the goblins agree with her.'

'Good! If you make a lot of money, then maybe you can buy decent clothes,' Alan teased his friend.

'What's wrong with my outfit?!' Severus demanded petulantly.

Alan tilted his head and declared, 'It was already outdated in the sixteenth century?'

Severus looked so outraged that Alan laughed heartily. Severus understood that his friend was teasing him gently and that there was no malice in his remark – Alan was nothing like the Marauders.

Alan calmed down and said, 'No, but seriously, Love, I know that your job certainly requires dark clothes, but you could do so much better. I know I mustn't have much in common with your lady-friend, but if I could find something for your hair that didn't make you howl, maybe I can help with your clothes. And you'd look less ancient for your kid.'

Severus would really do anything for Harry. 'What would you suggest?' he inquired.

'How much are you willing to spend on a new wardrobe, Love?' Alan asked in his turn.

Before Severus had a chance to answer, someone behind them spat, '_Love_? I didn't know you were like that. I thought you loved the Mudblood.'

Lucius Malfoy was being his usual arrogant self, but he hadn't counted on two things: a pissed off Squib and a very hormonal pregnant wife.

'You should wash your tongue with soap for using such a nasty word!' Alan barked. He noticed that Draco was standing next to his mother, and he added, 'And in front of your son! Shame on you!'

'Who do you think you are?!' Lucius growled.

'A man who is right!' Narcissa growled back.

Magic was buzzing all around her, and Lucius had seen her natural magic explode several times already. Truth be told, he didn't fancy being on the receiving end of one of those explosions. Her hormones were all over the map, and she had a hard time controlling her power because of her pregnancy. It hadn't been like that when she was expecting Draco, but now she was more powerful and more self-assured; Lucius didn't know where it came from, but his wife was changing – after all, she'd managed to convince him that another child would be a good idea.

Lucius decided to remain silent.

In spite of his Muggle outfit, there was something aristocratic about Alan when he spat, 'No gentleman would ever be so low as to insult a lady in such a despicable way!'

Lucius was too arrogant to be impressed, but Draco found Alan very chivalrous, and the young boy realized that there was a young witch for whom he'd like to be a courageous knight. Narcissa wasn't blind, and she decided to have a chat with her son in private to try and discover why he was so interested.

'Who is that man to you?' Lucius asked Severus.

'I'm his fashion advisor. He needs one now,' Alan declared before Severus could utter a word. 'Mind you, you could use one, too!' he added looking at Lucius as if he were dressed in rags.

'Wha… what do you mean?' Lucius spluttered.

'Where do I start?' Alan said as he started counting on his fingers. 'Your hairstyle doesn't suit you – and it might be a hindrance if you do more than just read books in your castle.'

'Manor,' corrected Lucius.

'Whatever,' Alan retorted as he went on, unfazed. 'Your Wizarding robes are very well cut, and of fine materials, too, but whoever picked the colours for you has to be blind.'

'I chose them!' Lucius protested.

'And your tailor didn't hex you for being so blind? You need to wear lighter colours with a complexion like yours! You should listen to Madam your wife, or at least take a leaf from her fashion book. She is a vision of heaven on earth,' Alan said.

Narcissa beamed, while Lucius looked utterly lost.

Alan turned to Severus and said, 'I know you cannot teach or work in your lab with light-coloured clothes, but there are things you could try. And you must have outfits to go out with your family.'

Severus nodded. He agreed with Alan, and he enjoyed teasing Lucius at the same time. If the twinkle in Alan's eyes was any indication, his new friend was having fun, too.

'Family? What does he mean, Snape?' Lucius inquired.

Alan tutted and said, 'Professor Prince-Mallard.'

'Uh?' murmured Lucius.

'I thought you told me one should say "I beg your pardon". Was I mistaken, Mother?' Draco inquired, joining the side of his mother, Severus and Alan.

'You are entirely correct, my dear son. Your father must be awfully tired, or in need of a Healer,' Narcissa declared, driving the nail deeper.

'Your husband might be in shock because of my adoption,' Severus said.

Narcissa congratulated Severus, while Lucius merely blinked; he was trying to remember if the Mallards were Purebloods.

'Ma'am, Young Sir… Sir,' Alan said, faking to include Lucius only reluctantly. 'If you'll excuse us, I have a lot of work to do tonight.'

Arm in arm, Alan and Severus walked away. They walked through Diagon Alley, through the Leaky Cauldron, and then outside, back to Muggle London where Lucius Malfoy would not follow them. They traded looks and then exploded with laughter.

When they stopped laughing, Severus said, 'Your biological family was a Pureblood family. There's no other way you could handle Malfoy.'

Alan nodded and said, 'I was born a McKinley.'

Severus could picture Alan's father tossing his Squib son out of the estate for not having magic in his veins – as if the boy were responsible!

'C'mon, Love! We still need a drink. I'm taking you to the pub down my street,' Alan said.

They ended up in a gay pub.

Alan was tempted to melt on the floor because his new – straight – friend didn't look as if he wished to disappear into a wall – or Disapparate to Cairo. Severus was uninterested, but not ill-at-ease.

'You're quite something Mr Prince-Mallard,' Alan declared as they were waiting for the bartender to take their order.

'Why?' Severus wondered, completely at sea.

'Because you don't mind being here – with me,' Alan said.

'Your preferences do not bother me. Who you love doesn't mean much to me because I know that you're not interested in me in a sexual way,' Severus said.

'How do you know?' Alan asked, clearly teasing his new friend as he theatrically batted his lashes at Severus.

Severus leant closer and whispered in Alan's ear, 'I can read your mind.'

Alan blinked several times and said finally, 'And you mean that literally, of course.'

Severus nodded.

'You're not my type of boyfriend. You're my type of friend,' Alan said.

'I know,' Severus admitted.

'I'm glad we met. Your kid is really nice, and you're not a bad bloke,' Alan said.

'Harry's not mine,' Severus murmured.

The bartender was ready to take their order, and Alan placed it.

'You know, I hate to ruin my work, but you really deserve it,' Alan told Severus, and then he took a deep breath and cuffed the back of Severus's head.

'That hurt!' Severus growled. 'Would you happen to be related to an NIS agent in Washington?'

'Nope,' Alan said. 'You deserved it, Love. Harry's yours. You chose him, and he chose you. My biological father is still alive, you know, but my _dad_ chose me, as I chose him. There wasn't a spark of magic to link us, but Muggle love can be just as magical as what flows in your veins. I take it you don't ever want to lose Harry the way you lost his mother.'

Severus gasped and paled.

Alan went on, 'Look, Love, life's a funny thing – a weird thing – and I'm not telling you that you should forget your past entirely, but, hell! You should concentrate on your future. Harry loves you.'

Severus remained silent.

'I'm not a bleeding mind-reader, Prince-Mallard, tell me what's on your mind,' Alan said as he paid for their drinks and led Severus to a fluffy red sofa that had just been vacated.

They sat down, and Alan put their glasses on a coffee table in front of them.

'Harry is James's son,' Severus murmured.

Alan cuffed him again and growled, 'If you can't forget whose blood is coursing through the boy's veins, do you both a favour and leave the boy's life _forever_. If you do love Harry – as I believe you do – you're going to love that kid. Full stop.'

Severus didn't say a word for several minutes. Alan could tell that his new friend needed a bit of time to think about the situation. They'd drunk a good half of their drinks before Severus seemed to come back to the here and now.

'I think I'm afraid,' Severus admitted with a low voice.

'That's already why you lost Lily years ago, isn't it?' Alan asked bluntly.

'Probably,' Severus agreed. 'I must have been afraid – and stupid, as well. Now I've lost Lily in this life, or maybe forever.'

Alan had noticed the books that Severus had bought. He pointed to them and said, 'I see you're trying to heal.'

'I don't know what I'm trying to do,' Severus confessed.

'You're turning towards a possible future,' Alan said.

Severus told him about Kate's advice, the men they'd met in Oxford, and even his meeting with his unusual former Slytherin student.

Alan told him he was convinced that Severus was somehow growing up – and he repeated that it didn't have to mean that he'd forget everything about his past. Of course, Alan had just met Severus, but he could tell that the wizard was listening closely to him and paying attention; at the same time, Alan had the feeling that there was something else weighing on Severus's mind.

'What is it, Love?' Alan asked gently, putting one hand on Severus's.

Maybe something was changing in Severus's life, or maybe he needed to confide in someone who didn't know him and wouldn't judge him too severely.

Severus looked pointedly at the empty glass in his hand as he murmured, 'I still love her.'

Alan laced his fingers with Severus's and said, 'There's been no one since?'

Severus shook his head. It felt odd to no longer feel his hair against his cheeks.

'There's been no one else since I first saw Lily. We were ten, I couldn't give a name to what I instantly felt for her, but I knew that she was the one,' Severus said softly.

Alan understood everything that Severus didn't say. He wondered if Severus would ever recover from losing Lily – if there could be anyone else in his heart.

Alan and Severus kept chatting, and Alan encouraged Severus to focus his love on Harry.

They were downing their third drinks when Severus admitted that he was afraid about Sirius's reaction.

'Love, I'm sure your kid will stand by you,' Alan said.

Severus gave him a small smile.

'Now, I just need to help you choose a nicer wardrobe and that Sirius will just have a heart attack,' Alan declared with a saucy grin.

'Stubborn,' Severus said, shaking his head and smiling at the same time.

'What do you say, Love?' Alan insisted.

'This is very kind of you, but what do you know about Wizarding robes?' Severus said.

'Who's sewing your robes?' Alan asked.

'Madam Malkin, of course,' Severus said.

'I remember the name. Say, Love, do you have to have your clothes made by a witch or a wizard? I have a friend who's a fantastic tailor, and I'm sure he could design something great for you,' Alan said.

'Why are you so kind to me, Alan?' Severus inquired.

Alan understood that Severus was merely curious, not wary of him. He smiled shyly and explained, 'It's rather nice to be friends with another bloke who doesn't freak out because I'm gay, but who'll never be interested.'

Severus decided to trust his instincts, and he joked with Alan, 'So you're being selfish and you don't want to be seen with someone in unfashionable attire.'

Alan laughed heartily and asked, 'So, what do you say?'

'I don't know much about clothes,' Severus admitted.

Alan smiled, but didn't joke when he said, 'I can help you, and my friend is quite good, you know.'

Severus looked a bit unsure.

'Do you know what we could do? Bring in your kid – and maybe your dad,' Alan said.

The Squib saw the sparks in the wizard's eyes, and he knew he'd convinced his friend.

'I'll call my friend. Maybe we could do this next weekend. Would that be all right with you?' Alan asked.

'Well, only if you agree to allow Kitty to escort you to my home for lunch with Dad and Harry,' Severus said.

'You're an angel. I'll be delighted to have lunch with you,' Alan answered.

Severus discovered that it was very easy to call Ducky "Dad". With time, he hoped to be able to say that Harry was his – though he honestly wondered what reactions such a statement would get in the Wizarding community because of James Potter's popularity.

Right then, Severus understood that he'd accept his sister's gift so as to be worthy of Harry and no longer tainted by Riddle's magic.

'Just one thing, Alan,' Severus said, smiling. 'Don't even try to offer your services as a home designer. My house is dusty and dark; I inherited it that way.'

'No problem, Love, you'll do the redecorating when you're ready,' Alan said.

Severus was about to add something when another client interrupted them by saying aggressively, 'What do you think you're doing, Alan?!'

Alan rolled his eyes. He'd dated that man for a week, but he was such a control freak that Alan was still running away from him.

'What makes you think that your attentions are welcome?' Severus asked coldly before Alan could say a word.

The Muggle man knew nothing about magic, but Severus looked so sure of himself that the intruder paused for a moment.

'I'll see you around,' the ex-boyfriend told Alan.

Alan sighed and whispered to himself, 'God! I wish he'd forget me.'

'Really?' Severus inquired.

'It would be nice,' Alan admitted.

'I'm being literal,' Severus insisted.

Alan blinked and added, 'For one second, I'd forgotten that you can probably do that.'

'I saw it in your eyes,' Severus explained. 'Do you want me to Obliviate him?'

'I do not want you to get in trouble because of me!' Alan protested.

'It's just a spell!' Severus said.

Severus took Alan's hand and dragged him out after the abusive ex-boyfriend. They cornered him in an alley, and one spell later the ex-boyfriend no longer remembered ever dating Alan.

Severus insisted on escorting Alan back to his place.

'Thanks, Love!' Alan said as he invited Severus into his flat.

'That wasn't much,' Severus protested.

'I never fell into his clutches, but it means a lot not to have to avoid him when I go out. Now, I can go clubbing, and more, without being afraid of an interruption!' Alan said.

Severus smiled.

'One last thing before I go,' Severus said. 'Kitty!'

The house-elf answered his call.

Alan beamed at her and welcomed her warmly.

'You is the one who cutted Master Harry's hair,' Kitty said. She looked at Severus and added, 'And Master Severus's!'

'I had that honour,' Alan said.

Kitty's ear flapped to show her approval. She said, 'Master Harry have been talking about you a lot.'

'Aww!' Alan purred.

'Kitty, I've called you because I've invited Mr O'Neill for lunch, and I'd like you to Apparate him to my house next Saturday. We'll have lunch with Harry and Dad,' Severus explained.

'Then Kitty will must cook for you,' she said. She looked at Alan and asked, 'Could would you shake hands with me?'

Alan immediately held his hand out, making the house-elf very happy, and they shook hands.

'Now Kitty will can find you anywhere. Call me when you is ready to go to Master Severus's house, and I will can be there,' she said.

'Thank you, Miss Kitty,' Alan said, which made her blush.

She turned to Severus and added, 'Master Harry would be delighted to see your new hairstyle, Master Severus.'

'She's right,' Alan agreed. 'Shoo! Go home. You know where to find me – and I have a tailor to contact.'

Severus Disapparated and reappeared straight into Harry's room, where Ducky was telling him a story.

Ducky and Harry loved his haircut, and they were enthusiastic about the plans for their next Saturday. The three of them agreed to plot so as not to have the ladies included in this particular operation.

When Harry fell asleep, and before Severus joined Ducky in his study for a glass of something and a long chat, Severus went to see Abby and told her he'd brew the potion for Narcissa. Abby could prepare for her ritual to free Severus "Snape" from Tom Riddle.

.

(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	8. Chapter 8

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've finished writing this story (153 pages!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

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Alastor Moody had freed Sirius from Azkaban and escorted the unconscious wizard to the hospital wing at Hogwarts.

Pomfrey was appalled at Sirius's physical condition, and she wondered in what state his mind was.

Poppy cast a Diagnosis spell on Sirius; she had divided it into two parts, one aiming at his body, the other at his brain waves. When she had a complete diagnosis, she had to make some decisions – and the most difficult one concerned the way she'd give Sirius the numerous doses of potions he needed.

Somehow, Fate decided to have a clear hand in this, because Sirius woke up and started being aggressive. Poppy decide to sedate him. Sirius was to remain a whole week in limbo under the constant care of Poppy; the effects of the potions on his body were slower because he was sleeping all the time, but he could not protest when Poppy administered him potions invented and brewed by Severus – potions that would restore most of Sirius's mental faculties if not his happy memories that had been sucked by the Dementors.

Besides, when Sirius woke up a week later, his friend Remus would be there to greet him – alongside most of the members of the first Order of the Phoenix.

It was a good thing that Sirius wasn't conscious the day after his rescue, otherwise he might have done something stupid enough to warrant his being sent back to Azkaban – with legal grounds this time.

The day after Sirius's rescue, Harry was having breakfast with the Weasleys. Severus – Abby's cat, that is – had followed the boy because he'd discovered that Arthur always gave him treats.

Percy was attempting to groom his rat, Scabbers, when Ron started reading aloud an article in the _Daily Prophet_ about the legal release of Sirius Black. The rat became quite agitated, bit Percy and ran towards the stairs. Abby's cat ran after the rat and tackled him. Molly was about to try and rescue Scabbers when he kicked at the cat with more strength than one could expect from such an old rat.

Severus howled. First, that was to call his mistress, and second, it was such a primal sound that the humans were frozen on the spot for a few seconds.

Scabbers started climbing the stairs as fast as he could, but not fast enough to escape Severus, who snatched his neck in his jaw. The rat fought and jumped and hissed, and when it was obvious that the rat was no match for the cat, the illegal Animagus started transforming himself back into his human form.

'Pettigrew!' Harry said when he saw the face of the transformed man. He recognized him from the old photos that friends of his parents had given him.

Even before Arthur or Molly could react and reach for their wands, a spell was cast to imprison the traitor. Peter Pettigrew crashed on the floor of the kitchen while Severus still had his teeth planted in his neck.

'Got to be painful!' Ron declared, wincing.

'Who stopped him?' Arthur wondered.

Abby joined them at that moment and she said, 'Ginevra showed signs of magic.'

Arthur and Molly were beaming at their youngest child.

'You're the best, Gin!' Harry said as he gave a quick hug to the girl.

'Show off,' Ron said affectionately. 'I'm sure you could have done magic long ago, but you were waiting to impress Harry,' he told his sister.

Ginny shook her head at Ron's remark; she giggled when Harry winked at her.

'You can let him go,' Abby told her cat.

'Isn't the cat under Ginny's spell, too?' Percy inquired with curiosity.

'Not at all. He just doesn't want to let go, that's all,' Abby explained.

In fact, Severus kept growling and biting Pettigrew's neck until Aurors from the Ministry came to take the Animagus to a special cell where no magic could be done. The Aurors thought that there might be some nerve damage, and they called in Healers from St Mungo's – they wanted Pettigrew to be either a healthy prisoner – or a good-looking corpse.

Ducky, Minerva, Mrs Mallard and Severus had joined Abby and Harry at the Weasleys' by the time the Aurors answered Arthur emergency call.

Long after Pettigrew had been taken away, the four-legged Severus was still rubbing his front paws against his teeth as if to get rid of the taste of the Animagus rat.

'You're such a drama queen, Severus!' Abby told her cat.

He looked at his mistress, stopping his movement with one paw against his teeth, and gave her a look that seemed to mean "What do you mean, witch?"

'He's a very brave kitty,' Arthur came to the cat's rescue.

Severus purred loudly, which made the human Severus snort. The cat went to Arthur's side and hopped onto his lap; Arthur scratched his ears and gave him bits of bacon.

The adults were beginning to relax after the unexpected capture, but Harry was burning to ask some serious questions. 'What's going to happen, now?' the boy asked.

Only Ducky and Severus were willing to answer honestly – and Severus knew more than his father about standard law procedures.

'Pettigrew is going to be tried for betraying your parents. At least, he'll be sent to Azkaban, which would be fair since his treachery sent Black there. He could be executed for his crimes,' Severus explained honestly.

'Severus! You shouldn't tell him that!' Molly protested. 'He's too young!'

'Mrs Weasley, you can tell whatever sugar-coated lie or near-truth you want to your own children, but we agreed to share all important things with our Harry,' Severus declared a bit coldly.

Ducky and Harry beamed at him, but he was focussing on Molly – Severus knew that the witch could spell trouble.

'_We_? Who? You have no rights where Harry is concerned!' Molly exclaimed.

'You are quite mistaken, Molly,' Ducky intervened before his son could hex their hostess.

'We're linked,' Harry added with passion.

Severus grinned at his father and son; he was tempted to chuckle when he saw the lost look on Molly's face.

'_We_ will tell Harry what _we_ see fit,' Ducky declared.

Molly could have tried to ask for the details about the situation, but Abby spoke first, 'I have the feeling that I'm missing something here.'

'I wonder what could make you think that, my dear _sister_,' Severus teased Abby.

Abby tried to glare and pout at the same time, but the result wasn't too effective.

Severus smiled at her, and she smiled back.

'I'm patient, I'll find out what you're hiding even without the help of my gift,' Abby declared.

'One day, you will,' Ducky told her.

She mock-growled, 'Men!'

'Well, Pettigrew is one problem that we can deal with later,' Molly said. 'What about Sirius? Did Albus contact any of you?'

'Poppy Fire-called me,' Severus said.

'Well?! What news?' Molly asked impatiently.

'His body suffered from years of imprisonment, but Poppy can help him. His mind, which never was that healthy to begin with, could be more of a problem. She wanted to know my mind concerning the doses of potions to give him. She put him in a healing trance and plans to wake him up in about a week,' Severus explained.

'That's long,' Ron said softly.

'He's got to recover from quite an ordeal,' Arthur pointed out.

Ron had only heard what his elder brothers said about Azkaban and the Dementors, and he didn't want to even imagine what it might be like there. He shuddered and nodded.

'What's good is that Harry will still be here then,' Molly said.

'Why?' Harry asked.

'You can meet him before you go back to Washington,' Molly explained.

Ducky and Severus held their boy between them while Harry declared, 'I do not want to meet that man. Ever!'

'But, Harry, Dear,' Molly began to say.

Dark glares from Harry's two protectors silenced her.

'Harry has no obligation to meet Black if he doesn't want to. My bond with Harry supersedes any other amongst the living,' Ducky said.

'But,' Molly insisted.

'I don't want to see him!' Harry complained.

'Then you will not,' Severus promised.

'Sirius will be so disappointed,' Molly whispered.

'I don't care,' Harry said.

The residents of the Mallard side of the Burrow retreated to their side in Hogsmeade. The ladies had planned some shopping in town, and Harry's protectors wanted to help him control his transformation into an Animagus – and Severus wanted to start teaching him Occlumency and Legilimency, too, because he had the feeling that it would be useful all too soon. It was a good thing that they'd have the house all for themselves.

Mrs Mallard trusted her son and her grandson with Harry's wellbeing.

Minerva trusted her companion. She believed that Severus would teach Harry what he needed to know, as well, and her daughter was convinced that it was a good thing to have Ducky and Severus deepen their bonds with Harry.

Of course, Abby could not _see_ anything concerning the special training that Harry would get.

The three of them worked together at the Burrow. When the ladies of the house came back from their shopping expedition, Harry and his Protectors would move the training to Severus's home. The second day they did that, Remus walked down the street to ask Severus to help him plan his lessons for the Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Severus and Ducky included Remus in Harry's extra-curricular training.

By showing and explaining Harry advanced magic, his mentors were getting him used to the spells and charms. When Harry was old enough to master the magic behind them, it would be easier for him.

The day before Severus was to meet Alan and his tailor-friend, Remus was working with them again. However, Harry was only ten-years-old, and he couldn't become a warrior or a certified wizard at such a young age – and practically overnight. They had to slow down a bit and let the boy rest and integrate the concepts.

There was one thing that Harry could do, it was to train to transform into his Animagus form. Either they trusted Remus with that secret, or they'd have to find a polite way to send the latest Hogwarts recruit back to his own house.

'You could always repeat what you did at the Burrow,' Ducky told Severus.

Severus knew that Remus would make a great Defence teacher, but he was too fair-play to hex Severus if need be. To protect Harry, Severus would kill anyone threatening his boy.

Severus nodded at his father and explained, 'Harry developed a magical skill, and we thought it would be a tactical advantage if it wasn't registered at the Ministry.'

Ducky winked at Harry, who transformed effortlessly into a snake.

Severus was waiting for Remus's reaction. His fellow looked at him and declared seriously, 'You are right, and you can trust me not to betray you. I'll take a Wizarding Oath if you want.'

'You're a man of honour, Remus,' Severus said.

'And you know that between Severus and I, there would not be a body to hand over to the Dementors if you were to betray our Harry,' Ducky added, dead serious.

'I know,' Remus said simply. He turned to Harry and said, 'The other Marauders learnt to transform so that I wouldn't be alone with the wolf during the full moons. I saw them training, I can help you and give you tips so that you don't tire too fast and can remain transformed.'

Harry transformed back and asked, 'Do you think you can transform now?'

Remus blinked.

'You could try,' Ducky encouraged him.

'I… I think I'm afraid,' Remus admitted.

'You're too afraid to go back to the time of the wolf. If you can turn yourself into an Animagus, I think your magic will steer you toward something different,' Severus declared.

Remus agreed to try.

Severus almost cried with laughter when Remus turned into a young lion – with the average life-span of wizards, Remus was very young. His Animagus form looked like a lioness with a lot of hairs around the face.

'Quit laughing, Severus, and tell me if you think I should register at the Ministry,' Remus said.

Severus calmed down and said, 'You know you shouldn't register. We don't know if they're going to turn into cowards before the end of all this, and we need as many advantages as possible.'

Remus nodded.

Then, Harry spoke with a small voice, 'Pettigrew was a rat, which suited him, but what were the others?'

Ducky nodded at Remus to allow him to answer.

'Your dad was a stag, and Sirius is a huge black dog,' Remus said.

'And Mum? Did she know how to transform?' Harry asked eagerly.

'I don't think so. The only animal form I've seen in her magic was her Patronus,' Remus explained. 'I showed you mine yesterday.'

'Yea, and it looks like a difficult spell,' Harry said.

'You're very young, Darling,' Severus declared.

'What was Mum's Patronus like?' Harry inquired.

'It was a doe. James's was a stag. The odds are that your Patronus will be like one of theirs,' Remus said.

Harry frowned. He turned to Severus and asked, 'What's yours?'

Severus knew that he was trapped because he wanted to be honest to his boy. He took his wand and summoned his Patronus. A bright doe ran around the parlour and then dissolved in the air.

'I hope mine will be a doe, too,' Harry said softly.

Remus put on hand on Severus's arm and squeezed as if to say "I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm sorry you still hurt."

Severus placed his hand over Remus's and squeezed, too.

Ducky was happy to see his son and Remus come to a truce. He was deeply convinced that Severus and Remus could become good friends if given the chance.

Ducky was looking for a discreet way to include Remus in the Alan expedition the next day when Remus himself provided him with the opening he was looking for.

'Would you like me to come over again tomorrow?' Remus asked Severus.

'We're going to see Alan tomorrow!' Harry said joyfully.

'But since your new friend knows about magic, maybe Remus could join us,' Ducky suggested.

'I don't want to intrude,' Remus protested.

'It would be fun to go all together!' Harry exclaimed.

Severus groaned. He was defeated by his father and their Harry.

'If you're free, you're welcome to join us, Lupin. However, I must warn you that Alan will most likely wish to attack your hair – and quite possibly hand you over to his tailor-friend after the man's done with me,' Severus said good-naturedly.

Remus looked at his clothes and blushed.

'Uncle Remus?' Harry said.

Severus groaned again because of his boy had just adopted yet another uncle. He looked at Remus, whose blush was deepening, and he shrugged.

'What's bothering you?' Ducky asked Remus.

'I'll have to go and visit Madam Malkin's when I get my wages in September,' Remus explained.

Suddenly, Severus vividly remembered how he'd felt when he'd had to go to school with old clothes.

'Nonsense, Lupin! We'll help you,' Severus said.

'But, Severus, I can't…' Remus started to say.

'Oh, but you can! It's only a loan, Lupin,' Severus declared. He paused and added, 'And then I will not be alone with Alan and his friend.'

Remus blinked. Before he could say a word, Severus had called Kitty and sent her to Alan to tell him there'd be one more "victim" to fix up the next day.

Remus looked so surprised that Severus kept teasing him.

Not long after that, Kitty returned to Severus's home to tell them that dinner was ready at the Burrow.

Kitty Apparated Harry and Ducky back to the cottage. Harry said goodbye to his "Uncle Remus".

Severus chuckled when he saw Remus's expression.

Remus knew how to retaliate just before Disapparating, 'If I'm his uncle, that makes me your brother.'

Severus was still blinking when he Apparated to the Burrow.

Ducky and Harry beamed at him.

Severus reflected that his life had taken a strange turn since he'd saved Abby's cat, but it was for the best.

The day Remus got to spend with "Ducky's pack" – as he now called the ME, Severus and Harry – and with Alan was good fun. It was a bit of a turning point, too.

Alan loved having lunch with them all, and later he introduced them to a tailor who was really gifted and suggested outfits that would modernize Severus's and Remus's looks without alienating them from the Wizarding community. The tailor was only told that his clients were teachers in a very conservative public school in Scotland, so as not to have him wonder why young men wanted to dress in such a traditional way; he announced that both orders would be ready in a fortnight.

Alan was quite surprised to see Severus write a cheque to cover the order. As soon as his tailor friend left for his shop, he asked, 'Do the goblins issue cheques now?'

'No, they don't. I opened a Muggle account. I thought it would be useful if I want to buy something Muggle,' Severus explained.

'You're good,' Remus praised his friend.

Severus smiled at him.

It became obvious to Ducky, Harry and even Alan, that both men were becoming closer with each passing day.

Now that Remus had a future, since he no longer was a werewolf, and now that Severus was a role model and father-figure for the son of the love of his life, both men were licking their wounds, growing up, and moving forward.

Severus wasn't ready to admit it yet, but he liked the idea of having Remus join the Hogwarts staff as his colleague. He'd have a friend to talk to; someone to chat with, someone who'd known Lily and loved her, and someone who wouldn't reproach him with his feelings for Lily – and Harry.

More and more, Severus had the feeling that he would never recover from losing Lily, but the Asian philosophies he was reading about were giving him hope that there might be something for him – in another incarnation, maybe.

Remus knew that Severus was being kind by lending him the money to pay for his new wardrobe. He understood that poverty – and poor clothing – was something that Severus had experienced. Severus was holding out a helping hand with his loan, and Remus was truly grateful for it. As well, he, too, was happy to have another man his age in the staff.

Against all odds, and in front of their friends and family, these two men were becoming friends.

However, Remus would be tested very soon after becoming closer to Severus. Poppy was about to wake Sirius up, and Albus asked Remus to be there to help him, Poppy and Moody to explain everything to Sirius that had happened since he was sent to Azkaban. No one fancied being the one to tell Sirius that Harry had come to love Severus.

When Albus did call Remus to go to Hogwarts to be there when Poppy administered the potion that would allow Sirius to wake up, Remus first Apparated to Severus.

'Abby already told me that Black is to awaken today, Lupin,' Severus told his visitor.

'It must be useful to have a true seer for a sister, Severus. However, I wanted to see you before I go to offer to come by after my visit to Hogwarts. I think Albus is planning to have Alastor, and possibly Kingsley, stay with Sirius in the Black mansion on Grimmauld Place. I could come and tell you how he's faring,' Remus said.

'Why should I care?' Severus asked coldly.

Remus knew that Severus had to be afraid. He gave him a small smile and said, 'There's no need to bark, Severus. I'd be curious as to Sirius's reactions if I were you. I must say, none of us is too eager to be the one to bring Sirius's knowledge up to date.'

Severus shrugged.

'I think Poppy is ready to sedate Sirius again if need be, and I think Alastor wouldn't hesitate to hex him a bit,' Remus added.

'It's a good thing Harry's legally a Mallard ward,' Severus declared rather neutrally.

'Yes, but you must admit that Sirius wouldn't have been such a bad option if Harry had been stuck with Lily's sister,' Remus said.

Severus flinched because he'd seen how bitter and harsh Petunia had become. Harry would have had a terrible childhood with that woman's family.

'Yes, you're possibly right. However, without the Mallards, and without Abby and her furry pest, Black would still be in jail and Pettigrew at large,' Severus said.

'I'll make sure that he understands all that,' Remus promised. 'I'll come and see you after I leave him.'

Remus was about to Disapparate to the gates of Hogwarts when Severus said, 'You can come at any time. Even late.'

Remus nodded once, gave Severus a small smile and said, 'I will. I'll tell you how it went as soon as I'm back.'

Remus went to Hogwarts, and Severus Apparated to his chosen family. As usual, they'd have breakfast at the Burrow, and then would go to Severus's home to keep training Harry.

Poppy was tense when she gave Sirius his last doses of potions. They'd finish restoring his body – and hopefully his mind – and then he'd wake up within a few minutes.

They all hoped that he wouldn't be too disoriented.

Sirius groaned and finally woke up. He first saw Albus, then Remus and Poppy, and last Moody, who had his wand in hand.

'How do you feel?' Poppy asked her patient.

Sirius groaned again and said, 'Not too well, but better than with the Dementors around.'

Poppy nodded and told Sirius what she'd done to help him.

Sirius tried to rise a bit, but he felt too dizzy. Remus helped his old friend and placed another pillow behind his back, and then he gave him a glass of water that Sirius sipped slowly.

'Did you catch Peter?' Sirius asked.

Remus was the first to answer, 'Yes, and you're an idiot not to have told us that you weren't James and Lily's Secret Keeper!'

'I wanted Peter to feel like a part of our group. I told James to convince Lily, and now…' Sirius's voice trailed off as tears welled in his eyes.

'Yes! Of course! Poor Peter! He was so much better than the werewolf! But then again, I was bound to fall under the spell of the Dark Lord! You've always been so arrogant!' Remus shouted.

Sirius was quite surprised by such an outburst – and so were the other witnesses to this scene.

'I never meant that!' Sirius protested.

'I was a dark creature, and therefore unreliable. Peter was normal, like you; I was nothing but a monster who would betray James and Lily! Look where it got us! Lily and James are six feet under, and since you kept your bloody mouth shut, Peter could have hurt Harry while you were in jail. You're an idiot!' Remus barked.

'Harry,' Sirius gasped.

'Yes! The poor kid is an orphan partly thanks to you!' Remus spat.

By then, Sirius was crying.

'Remus,' Albus protested.

'He's right, Albus. If Lily had been free to tell me what her stupid husband was planning, I'd have told her to follow her instinct and toss Pettigrew out of their lives. I know we need as many people as possible in the Order, but that doesn't mean that we've got to welcome everyone,' Moody pointed out.

Albus sighed. He felt old, and he wanted this war to be over for good.

'Where's Harry?' Sirius inquired between sobs.

'With his Protector,' Minerva said from the door. 'My companion.'

Minerva moved to Sirius's bed and told him everything that had happened after he was sent to Azkaban.

Sirius was grateful that Harry had been taken in by a good and loving family. He had a hard time picturing Harry with so many people – virtual strangers for most of them – loving him, taking care of him, and ready to fight to protect him.

'My daughter Abby is Harry's tutor. She's an extraordinary witch,' Minerva said.

'I'm glad your companion rescued Harry, and that you were there for him, too,' Sirius said.

'We love him. He's _our_ Harry, but we told him everything about James and Lily when he was old enough to understand,' she explained.

'I can tell him stories about the Marauders,' Sirius said with a small smile.

He lost his smile rather fast when they all remained dreadfully silent and avoided looking straight at him.

'Mum,' Abby said as she joined them.

'Yes, Abby?' Minerva said.

'He must be told today,' Abby answered cryptically.

In spite of the fact that Abby was a true seer, Minerva always feared that the fact that her daughter was emotionally linked to Harry and the rest of their pack would prevent her from _seeing_ clearly.

'Are you sure?' Minerva inquired.

'I came with some backup,' Abby declared with a positively evil grin.

'Sorry, we're late, Gibbs was arguing with the painting of a knight,' Kate said as she walked into the hospital wing.

Gibbs, DiNozzo and McGee walked in behind her.

Albus was surprised that Mike had decided to stay in the Headmaster's office. The fireplace in his office was the only place from which Abby could have brought the NIS team inside the castle – and Albus had left his lover there with a good book and a singing phoenix. Maybe Abby had told him to stay there, or maybe Mike didn't want to interfere with the efforts of the younger fighters.

'What's going on?' Sirius asked.

'So, that's our Harry's godfather,' Kate commented coldly.

Instinctively, Sirius felt that he'd better not mess with this Muggle.

'When can I see Harry?' Sirius asked.

'Not anytime soon,' Abby said.

'Why?!' Sirius yelled.

'Because the kid is nice, and he didn't like what he heard about your behaviour at school,' Gibbs explained.

Sirius knew that those NIS people that Minerva had mentioned were protecting Harry quite efficiently, but he considered that he wasn't a threat to Harry. He couldn't understand – at least, not yet – why Harry wouldn't want to meet him, the godfather his parents had given him.

Kitty appeared out of thin air. She was so small that Sirius didn't notice her next to his bed.

'I'm his godfather,' Sirius protested. 'And it's not as if I were a Death Eater, like Snivellus.'

They all flinched.

'Master Severus have convinced Master Harry to give you a chance,' Kitty said, which prompted Sirius to lean over the side of his bed. From the look on his face, he recognized the house-elf from his school time. Kitty went on, 'Master Harry have agreed, but only if you was civil with Master Severus. Master Harry don't want to meet you until you grows up.'

Kitty disappeared to Severus's home to tell Ducky, Severus and Harry that Sirius hadn't changed one bit.

'What's going on with Snivellus? Did he hex all of you?!' Sirius barked.

The sound of Kate's open palm connecting with Sirius's cheek was very loud in the quiet hospital.

Remus Apparated onto Severus's doormat and knocked on the door.

'You could have Apparated inside,' a surprised Severus said as he opened his door.

'I didn't want to intrude,' Remus mumbled.

Severus grabbed his new friend's arm and yanked him inside unceremoniously. 'I modified my wards to allow you through. Next time, you can come straight in,' Severus said.

Remus knew what it meant to have a gifted spy like Severus trust him, and it made him blush.

Severus noticed it and rolled his eyes, but he also knew that he'd never change the way Remus was – he was an emotional man.

'Kitty must have reported to you what happened,' Remus said neutrally.

Severus invited Remus into his small parlour. 'That she did. Nana was ready to ask her to take her to Hogwarts,' Severus said.

Remus smiled because Severus was really opening up to his chosen family. First, Ducky had become "Dad", and now Mrs Mallard was becoming "Nana". Remus thought that Severus would never call Minerva "Mum", but with a bit more time, Severus would consider Abby as his sister – in spite of all their differences.

'Who convinced her not to go?' Remus asked.

'Harry. He said Black wasn't worth her time,' Severus said proudly. 'Would you like something to drink?' he offered his guest.

Remus sat down and said, 'Would you happen to have a drop of that liquor you brewed?'

Severus knew exactly which bottle Remus meant, and he grinned. 'Even healed, you still have a sweet tooth the size of London,' he teased Remus.

'I know,' Remus admitted with a chuckle. 'Why do you like bitter things?'

'I like the taste,' Severus answered honestly.

Remus nodded, sipped his drink and said, 'What Kitty couldn't tell you because it happened after she left was how Kate cuffed Sirius.'

'Minerva told us,' Severus pointed out.

'She'd already left when Kate did it the second and third times,' Remus said.

Severus settled more comfortably in his chair, nursed his glass and said in a purr, 'Tell me.'

Remus proceeded to tell his new friend how his old friend Sirius had managed to get on the wrong side of an NIS agent, who had formerly been a bodyguard for the President of the United States.

Severus was delighted to hear that Sirius was having a bad time for being his usual, bigoted, idiotic self. There was something else that he noticed. 'Do you like Kate?' he asked Remus.

Remus blinked, and it took him a few seconds to understand what Severus meant. 'No! Not like that!' Remus protested. 'She's a nice gal, but she's not my idea of a girlfriend. You know, I'd be too afraid to have her train on me. She can be scary, and I bet that your sister would have lectured me at great length if Kate was "the one" because they're such good friends.'

Severus had to agree – Abby would not be able to keep her mouth shut and not interfere when her friend Kate finds a serious date.

Severus opened his mouth to say something else, but as if Remus knew what he'd say, he interrupted him and said, 'Listen, Mate, I'm not ready for dates, so don't turn into a clone of Abby. I'll do the same for you.'

Severus nodded once.

'How's your reading going on?' Remus inquired.

'You mean my pitiful attempt at recovery, I imagine,' Severus said in a whisper.

'There's nothing wrong in trying to feel better,' Remus scolded him.

'I'm trying to find a way to find this world bearable without Lily in it,' Severus admitted.

'Harry loves you,' Remus said.

Severus gave Remus a small smile and added, 'Yes, but if…' He couldn't finish the sentence. There were too many "ifs" in this situation – _if_ Lily had been his wife, _if_ she hadn't been murdered, _if_ they could have had children together, if, if, if…

'There's a book a Muggle hippy friend gave me after we left school, I'll bring it to you tomorrow,' Remus said.

'Thank you,' Severus said. 'You have a Muggle hippy friend?'

Remus chuckled and shared this story with his friend.

Later that night, they talked about their lesson plans and what they wanted to teach Harry before he had to go back to Washington for his last year there.

Both men were quite eager to have Harry come back to the UK for good the next summer. The bonus for Severus would be that his family would be closer to him all year round – and he'd get to live with Harry at Hogwarts.

For the first time in quite a long time, both men planned nice things for their future. They each had a future to fight for.

For the first time, they were discovering that they could be real friends with time.

There was only one _incident_ before Harry was taken back to his American house. He was shopping with Severus and Ducky in Diagon Alley when Sirius escaped Moody and Shacklebolt's scrutiny.

Sirius had yet to keep in mind that he'd now have to deal with a foreign witch who was a true seer.

Sirius had assumed his unregistered Animagus form to enter the alley, and he'd transformed right in front of his godson and his new family.

Several things happened at the same time. Ducky, though Harry no longer was a baby, picked up his charge and allowed Severus to draw his wand and stand in front of them to protect them both. However, it was useless because Abby knew that Sirius would try something to force his godson to meet him. She was there – with Kate. Sirius could have been hexed by Severus or Abby; instead, he was viciously tackled by Kate.

'What do you think you're doing?' Sirius barked, his nose on the pavement, and both his arms twisted behind his back with Kate wrestling him as if he were a rag doll.

'She's kicking your ass,' Harry said as Ducky put him down.

'Language, Darling. We don't want Nana to be disappointed,' Severus said.

'Or growl,' Ducky added.

'She's scary when she growls,' Kate joined in.

'Oi!' Sirius barked.

'Be quiet, Black. You're getting what you deserve,' Abby said.

'You're all brain-washing Harry,' Sirius growled.

'Uncle Ducky?' Harry said, pointing at Sirius to ask permission to go near him. Ducky nodded.

Severus was still too insecure about his place in Harry's life, and he was deeply surprised when Harry touched his free hand and asked, 'Sev?'

'Whatever you want, Darling,' Severus said. He was thinking that his Harry had changed his mind about Sirius, but he'd allow his boy to meet his godfather if Harry wanted to.

'Aunt Kate, you've got him?' Harry asked.

'He won't bat an eyelash, Honey,' she said, securing her grip on Sirius with practised ease.

Harry crouched next to his godfather, but Sirius's head was turned the other way and he couldn't see him.

'I'm sorry you're so stubborn, Mr Black, but I really don't want to meet you if you keep behaving like a brat. I've seen how you were in Hogwarts. You were nasty to Severus without reason. You thought – no! You _think_ you can do anything you want, but that is not how life is,' Harry said.

'Snivellus is a Death Eater,' Sirius said.

'Calling him names is _so_ grown-up!' Harry snorted.

'I see the whole family is teaching the kid quite well,' Moody praised Harry's Protectors – even Severus – as he joined them.

Harry chuckled and went on, 'There's not only Sev; you were awful to Uncle Remus when you could have sent him to jail if my dad hadn't stopped Sev before the werewolf attacked. And Mum!'

'What about Lily?' Moody growled.

Harry looked at the Auror and said, 'He made fun of her because she was not intolerant like him. It was only when Dad wanted to date her that he tried being nicer.'

Moody growled, and his magical eye rolled madly with anger.

Harry turned again to Sirius and went on, 'I'm not saying that I never want to see you, Sir. However, I don't want to put up with your behaviour.'

'The kid sounds like a mix of you two,' Moody told Ducky and Severus.

Both men beamed with pride.

'Grow up!' Harry hissed to his godfather.

'And register your Animagus form at the Ministry before a brave civil servant has you sent back to Azkaban,' Severus told his old enemy.

Moody was happy to see that he'd been so wrong about Severus. Then again, maybe Severus had done some growing up of his own.

'Kitty!' Abby called.

The house-elf answered immediately. 'Yes, Mistress Abby?'

'Would you, please, take Black to my parents' house? I'd like you to bind him to the family altar,' Abby said.

Kitty grabbed Sirius's nearest earlobe and asked Kate to stand up, and then she took Sirius to New Orleans.

'He'll stay there, unable to Apparate out of the town or transform to leave,' Abby explained.

'Voodoo?' Moody inquired with curiosity.

'A melting-pot of this and that,' Abby said with a chuckle.

'Would you share your secrets with an old man after we've told Albus that Sirius is dealt with?' Moody said.

'What old man?' Abby joked.

'Give her caffeine and she'll tell you where to find the Holy Grail,' Kate declared.

Abby pouted.

'I shall keep that in mind, Agent Todd,' Moody said civilly.

'We'll have to visit your poor parents often to make sure that the idiot is making progress,' Kate said.

While Kate brushed the dust off her trousers, Abby signed something to Harry, who had to fight not to giggle.

'Well, I'll Apparate Kate back home, and then Alastor and I will go have tea with Albus and Mike,' Abby said.

When they were gone, Severus and Ducky turned to Harry and asked what Abby had said in sign-language.

'She said that Kate would tame Sirius. They're meant to be together,' Harry explained.

'Poor Kate!' Severus said.

'Have a thought for Black,' Ducky intervened. 'Kate was the one who tackled him _before_ you could hex him.'

Severus grinned and said, 'You have a point.'

'Abby said that the ritual for you will be ready on time,' Harry added.

Severus touched his left arm and said, 'I'll be grateful to be fully freed from Riddle.'

Harry took his hand and Ducky's hand, and they went back to shopping.

By the time Harry went back to Washington, Severus had been successfully freed from Riddle's Dark magic.

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(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	9. Chapter 9

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've finished writing this story (153 pages!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

.

The next school year was rather quiet, but very interesting.

Abby worked with Harry and Kelly to complete her tutoring of the kidfs; truth be told, Kelly Gibbs and Harry Potter would be the best trained kids at their respective schools.

Abby was preparing for her transition to working full-time for NIS at the same time.

Ducky was slowly beginning to prepare to retire in a few years (or maybe work from time to time if the NIS London agency needed help), and he was training Dr Palmer and encouraging Gerald Jackson to work with the younger – and sometimes too shy – ME. Ducky didn't want to feel guilty about the replacement he'd recommended to Gibbs when he'd finally move to Hogsmeade.

Thanks to the budding friendship between Severus and Remus, the Head of Slytherin could often Apparate to his family in Washington. Severus introduced his little snakes to their Defence against the Dark Arts professor, and he told his Slytherins that they could go and see Professor Lupin if they needed help while he was out of the castle.

One day, one of Severus's youngest Slytherins had asked him where he was going. His tongue was faster than his brain, and he'd told the little girl that he was going to see his father and his son. She'd beamed at him and left the Potions classroom with a quiet smile gracing her lips. From that day on, Severus Prince-Mallard became the ideal dad, according to Lucy Riane. She was a small girl for her age, with blond hair and fair skin; her wide, bright blue eyes made her look as if everything in the world kept amazing her.

For the first time in his life, Severus began to become attached to a few of his students – and not only the Slytherins. Now that he was recovering from the nightmares in his past, and that he had started mourning for Lily properly, he decided that he wanted to protect the children who could be tainted by the Dark Arts if the adults didn't do their jobs.

Severus wanted to protect his Harry, but not only – the other children were someone else's _Harry_, too, and he considered it his duty to fight against Riddle.

Remus was adapting very fast to professorial life, and the staff and the students knew that they could find him in the Potions lab, Severus's quarters, or even the Slytherins common room if he wasn't in his own office or quarters.

Albus was delighted to see his two protégés get along so well now that they were older – and Remus would certainly remain the Defence against the Dark Arts teacher for many years, which was a treat that Hogwarts hadn't known for quite a few years.

When Severus was in Washington, he got to tutor Kelly as well as Harry, because she was Harry's _sister_, and the two kids shared their knowledge. Kelly was showing Harry how to listen to his instinct (he wasn't a seer like her, but he could pay attention to tiny magical details that could help him), and he taught her about Legilimency and Occlumency.

With Abby and Severus's help, Kelly and Harry would be the pride of Morticia's Academy for Witches and of Hogwarts.

That year went by very fast.

All too soon, Harry and his family were packing for Hogsmeade for good.

Gibbs was doing his best to have his team ready for life without Mrs Mallard and Harry around; he also had to prepare his family for life without having the Mallards and their extended family right next door. Ducky was planning to rent a flat near the NCIS, and Minerva would come and Apparate him when he was free to spend time in Hogsmeade.

With a lot of help, and the pulling of a lot of strings, the new NIS team managed to get some time off at the same time so that they could be able to go to the UK and spend a week or two with the Mallards.

Kelly and Harry were playing in the Burrow's garden on the Weasley side when Hogwarts owls arrived.

Since Draco had been invited for lunch, the children were not surprised to see three owls fly in.

Ron caught his letter before the owl dropped it unceremoniously onto his head, but Draco wasn't that lucky, and the corner of the thick envelope landed on the top of his head.

'Iaouch!' he complained.

'Are you all right, Sweetie?' Kelly inquired worriedly.

Draco nodded and gave her a small smile.

'Er… First, eww!' Ron said. 'And second, why don't you use your gift? You should know what's going on and if he's fine, like your aunt Abbs.'

Kelly blushed bright red, and so did Draco. It took Ron a moment to understand that, just like Abby, Kelly couldn't see anything for people she loved.

'Really, eww!' Ron said, pretending to be disgusted.

'I'm gonna make fun of you when you meet your future wife in Hogwarts!' Kelly said.

'What do you mean?' Ron wondered.

'You won't be there to tease him,' Draco pointed out, his voice carrying all his sadness.

'I don't know what happened, Kel', but there's a Hogwarts letter for you with mine,' Harry announced.

'Huh?' was all she could say.

'What about the Addams' academy?' Ron asked.

'Headmistress Addams agreed to let me in her class,' Kelly said as she accepted her Hogwarts letter from her brother.

'I think we'd better go back to Hogsmeade and tell the family,' Harry said.

Kelly and Harry looked a bit lost, but Draco was beaming – he was delighted by the prospect of going to school with Kelly.

Ron had looked disgusted just a moment before, but seeing his latest friend so happy made him happy in turn, and he winked at Draco, who started grinning like the Cheshire-Cat.

Kelly ran straight to her former tutor and gave Abby the letter.

'What's wrong?' Gibbs asked.

Kelly turned very pale and said with a small voice, 'I'm sorry, Daddy.'

Gibbs rushed to his elder daughter and asked, 'What's going on, Honey?'

'Kelly has been invited to go to Hogwarts,' Abby declared after reading the letter.

'How is that possible? She's not a witch from the UK,' Shannon declared.

'Is it wishful magic?' McGee inquired.

'I didn't do that, Uncle Tim,' the young girl protested. 'I'm sad that Harry's going to be so far from us, but it's not as if we're never going to meet again.'

Tim smiled at her.

'Then what happened?' Gibbs wondered.

'We should call Albus to verify that there was no magical mistake,' Ducky suggested.

While Kitty was being sent to Hogwarts, Severus had a word with his father; he knew that the magic of Hogwarts wouldn't have had Kelly on the register if the girl wasn't meant to go to school there.

They just had to figure out what happened, and how an American, first-generation witch ended up on the Hogwarts register.

Kitty came back home with Albus and Mike – Gibbs's former boss had completely moved in with Albus at Hogwarts. Mike could have stayed _home_, but, since Kelly was concerned, he went to the Burrow, too.

'I checked the school register. Kelly Gibbs is supposed to join us next term,' Albus announced.

'She's not a local witch,' Shannon said.

'Something must have happened,' Albus declared.

'Did you _wish_ to go to Hogwarts?' Abby asked the little witch, who was still her magical responsibility until she entered a witching academy.

Kelly shook her head several times and said, 'No! The Addams' academy is a rad place! And I'll see Harry on holidays.'

'Is there a spell to discover what happened?' Gibbs asked.

'There's one,' Severus answered.

'Is it dangerous?' Gibbs asked.

Severus glared at his Muggle friend. By now, Gibbs should know better than suggest that Severus would do _anything_ that might endanger any of the kids.

'Then cast it,' Gibbs growled.

Severus took his wand from his sleeve and looked at Kelly. 'May I, Sweetie?' he asked with a smooth voice.

'Of course, Uncle Severus,' Kelly said with a bright smile.

Severus was forced to smile; Kelly had adopted him, and her little sister Anna was growing up considering Severus as her uncle – as if it were perfectly natural. Severus loved it.

One spell later, all those in the room who could decipher the results started gaping – even Severus.

'So?' Gibbs growled.

Abby looked at Severus and said, 'I'm not telling him. This is going to bring the scary Gibbs out.'

'What _is_ going on?' Shannon demanded.

Abby hid behind Severus, who glared at her.

'She can be scarier,' Abby whispered.

'Well,' Severus told Gibbs and Shannon, 'you know how our kids say they're sister and brother.' The Gibbses nodded, and Severus went on, 'Well, it turns out that they must have done something that magically made them just that.'

Kelly and Harry traded looks.

'What did you do?' Nana Mallard demanded.

Abby took a step back and mumbled something that sounded like "scariest".

'We didn't know it would do that,' Kelly said.

'What, Kel'? We're not angry, merely curious,' Shannon said.

'It was something we saw in a film,' Harry said very softly.

'What?' Gibbs asked. It was laconic, but without any trace of anger in his voice.

'We activated a blond bond months ago,' Kelly explained.

The adults looked at one another.

'Well, Morticia will be disappointed, but I'm sure she'll understand,' Shannon said.

'Kelly will stay with us during breaks,' Ducky told the Gibbses.

'And I can help Shannon and Jethro travel to our side of the world then,' Severus added.

'Sorry,' Kelly mumbled.

'It's okay, Sweetheart,' Kate declared. 'We've got witches and wizards in the family. I'm sure they can change the plans for you in no time.'

All the non-Muggles nodded fervently.

Gibbs crouched in front of his elder daughter and asked, 'Would it be too much for you to go to Hogwarts and be away from us for weeks?'

Kelly remained silent.

'Kel', we can take care of your parents and your sister while you're at school. And we can send you messages and parcels and stuff,' McGee told her.

'That was sweet, Tim,' Abby murmured. The youngest NIS agent blushed bright red.

Shannon and Gibbs looked at each other, and then at their daughter.

'If this is what you want, we're okay with it,' Gibbs said.

'Really?' Kelly asked with a small voice.

Her father nodded fervently.

'It would have been nice to go to the Addams' academy, but it'll be interesting to learn magic with Harry. When I come back, I can tutor someone like Abby did, and my magic will be different, if not richer,' Kelly said.

Gibbs turned to Ducky and said, 'She definitely sounds a bit like you.'

'Nothing wrong with that,' Severus said good-naturedly.

Gibbs grinned.

They started planning Kelly's temporary move with the Mallards.

They sent Kitty to Morticia Addams to tell her what happened. It turned out that Morticia's mother had _seen_ that this would happen, and Kelly's spot had already been given to another little witch.

The Addamses were friends with the Sciutos, and Morticia had Kitty deliver a present for Kelly with the help of an unexpected carrier.

A few hours after sending Kitty to Washington, they were all surprised to see their house-elf Apparate with Sirius in tow.

Severus immediately aimed his wand at Sirius.

At once, Sirius held his hands up and said, 'There's no need for that, Professor Prince-Mallard.'

'Did Kate scare you so much that you finally located your brain?' DiNozzo joked, which earned him Kate's elbow in his stomach.

Sirius chuckled and said, 'I know what our dear Caitlin is capable of, but Abigail's former tutor taught me a few things that helped me become a better man.'

'I hate being called that!' Abby protested.

Sirius looked at her, winked and said, 'Grissom made me promise to tease you, I quote "for the sake of good old times". He said you'd understand.'

Abby blinked, and then laughed heartily.

Sirius faced Severus again and said, 'The Sciutos read me the riot act, and then they shipped me off to Grissom in California. He's an acting Auror and a coroner in Los Angeles now. He made me his assistant for the past few months. You wouldn't believe the things I've seen, Sna… Prince-Mallard. If you want to hex me or punch me, go ahead; I deserve it.'

Severus turned to his father and asked, 'What do you think?'

'You know me, Severus; I'd be tempted to trust him,' Ducky said. He was smirking when he added, 'Of course, if he's lying and tries anything against you or Harry, Mother will take care of him.'

'Of course,' Nana Mallard growled.

The old lady caressed Severus's cheek. He took her hand and kissed it.

'Thank you, Nana,' Severus said softly as he put his wand back into his sleeve – not that he really needed it if he had to hex Sirius.

Sirius looked at Severus and said, 'I'm going to spare you the details, but my training with Grissom made me a different man. Grissom's a quiet man, borderline Zen master, but when you piss him off, he's _beyond_ scary. He helped me understand a lot of things and, maybe, grow up.'

Mrs Mallard cuffed Sirius. All the others said, 'Language!'

Sirius blinked several times, rubbed his head and said, 'Sorry. I'll try to watch my tongue.'

'A few cuffs, and you'll watch your tongue naturally,' Shannon declared.

Sirius looked at her with a small smile and said, 'You're probably right, Mrs Gibbs. I'll try to avoid getting a concussion or brain damage.'

'Too late,' Severus said softly.

To everyone's surprise, Sirius chuckled and said, 'Good one. I deserved it.'

'Why are you here, Black?' Severus asked.

'Morticia wanted to give Miss Gibbs something. Gil, the Sciutos and the Addamses agreed that I was ready to come back here and fight with you all when the time comes,' Sirius explained.

'There's something you're not telling us,' Remus intervened. He'd been very quiet up to that moment, but he'd spotted something in his old friend's behaviour.

'Cheers, Remus!' Sirius said as he started blushing.

Kelly giggled and said, 'Grissom's mother adopted him.'

Sirius's blush deepened. He took a deep breath and said, 'Miss Gibbs is right.'

'Well, if she adopted you, that's got to mean that you've changed a lot,' Abby pointed out.

'He's still a bit of an idiot, but he's no longer the brat he was,' Kitty said.

Harry wanted to ask Severus why their Kitty wasn't using elf speech, but one look from Severus prevented Harry from asking that question.

Abby and Gibbs saw Severus use sign language to tell Harry "later". Both of them knew that Severus was always doing what was best for Harry; they didn't feel the need to investigate and ask Severus questions.

All the others decided to trust Kitty's statement.

'What's your full surname now?' Remus asked his friend.

'I didn't do what Prince-Mallard did. The last Black heir is now a Grissom, and my _brother_ is a very good man,' Sirius said.

'Grissom's great!' Abby said enthusiastically. 'I mean, Gil, not the new one, you know. I mean, maybe Sirius isn't going to be a bad Grissom, but Gil is really great!'

'You'd better stay on my team, Abigail,' Gibbs said in a growl.

'I'll never leave!' Abby promised.

'Of course she won't leave!' Kelly said, giggling madly.

'Morticia said you're a seer,' Sirius said.

'I'm working on my gift,' the young girl said.

'Is she really going to stay with us?' McGee asked in a whisper.

Kelly looked at McGee and smiled. She turned to Abby and asked, 'When I see something, Aunt Abbs, should I share it with the person concerned?'

'If it's good news, yes. If it's bad news, you must warn the person only if his or her life is in danger,' Abby said.

Abby was really wondering why her pupil was asking her to repeat such an elementary rule. It didn't take her long to understand that the innocent-looking Miss Gibbs had just trapped her.

Kelly turned to McGee again and said, 'She'll stay with the NIS team, especially if you ask her to marry you, because you're meant to be together.'

'Congrats, Timmy!' DiNozzo said with a chuckle.

'Oi! Leave him alone!' Abby said with a protective growl.

McGee looked very surprised, but not at all against the idea. He looked at Kelly, who winked at him; he gave her a small, happy smile.

DiNozzo opened his mouth to tease his colleague, but Kate cuffed the back of his head before he could utter a single syllable.

'Good job, Kate,' Gibbs said.

Sirius took a small packet from his pocket. 'Mr and Mrs Gibbs, may I give your daughter Kelly what Headmistress Addams gave me for her?' he asked.

'Of course,' Shannon said.

Kelly didn't wait for her father to agree, too, because she knew that what one of her parents said was what the other would say, too, and she accepted the small packet from Sirius.

'Thanks, Mr Grissom,' Kelly said.

When the magic on the packet acknowledged Kelly's magical signature, it transformed into a very nice wooden box.

'Oh! Grandmama helped choose it!' Abby squealed excitedly.

They all looked at her as if she had bats in the attic.

'Do you know what it is?' Harry asked Abby.

She nodded fervently and said, 'I do. It will help Kel' focus on her gift.' She turned to her other pupil and added, 'You shouldn't open it here. The contents are something very private.'

'Morticia said she'd be delighted to see you come teach at her academy when you're a fully certified witch,' Sirius told Kelly.

'Really?' Kelly squealed in her turn.

Sirius nodded.

'Rad!' Kelly and Harry said in synch.

Sirius beamed at them.

'Perhaps it's time for you to meet my ward formally, Mr Grissom,' Ducky said. 'Of course, if you try to poison his mind, you'll have my mother, my son, the entire family, including our house-elf, and Harry himself hexing you. Besides, between Abby and me, there wouldn't be a corpse for the Aurors to find if you do something stupid.'

'I understand,' Sirius said.

He turned to face his godson.

Before Sirius could say a word, Harry said, 'If you ever say one thing against Sev, I'll hex you.'

'I think I've grown a brain, Harry,' Sirius said.

'You'd better not hurt him,' Severus growled.

'Not the plan. I really want to help,' Sirius promised.

'Do you think that the war will start again?' Draco asked with a small voice.

'The Dark Lord is on his way back here,' Abby and Kelly said in synch with an odd tone to their voices.

'Bloody hell,' Ron said. He was happy that Mrs Mallard was too shocked to notice what he'd said.

'We must stop him,' Severus said.

'We'll devise a strategy later,' Ducky declared.

'We need time to think about what we must do,' Gibbs said.

'And _now_, we need to go to Diagon Alley to shop for Kelly's supplies,' Minerva added to change the topic.

The adults agreed that they had to protect the children for as long as possible.

'We could go shopping tomorrow morning,' Molly suggested.

They all thought that it was a good idea.

The Gibbses spent the rest of the day planning for Kelly's schooling at Hogwarts.

Sirius was allowed to get to know his godson – under Kitty's supervision.

The next morning, the Leaky Cauldron was invaded by all the Mallards, Remus, Sirius, Molly and her five youngest children, the Gibbses and the NIS team.

There was a couple with their daughter waiting for someone to open the passage to Diagon Alley.

'This is so unfair!' the girl was complaining.

'Patience is a virtue,' her mother said.

The girl was a first-generation witch. She wasn't allowed to use magic yet, and her parents were Muggles.

'Did no one in the pub offer to help you?' Minerva asked.

'No, Ma'am,' the father said.

Minerva growled and said, 'We need to improve this system!'

'Allow us to help you through,' Remus said as he took his wand.

The children moved towards the witch and started introducing themselves.

Their future classmate blinked when she heard Harry's name and when she noticed that his "sister" had an American accent.

'I'm Hermione Granger,' she said.

Ron was mesmerized.

'Oi! Wait for me!' a boy yelled as the passage to Diagon Alley was about to close again. It was Draco, who was with his mother and his younger brother.

Balancing her baby on one arm, Narcissa cast the spell that kept the passage open.

Draco whirled towards her and said, 'Fantastic! Thanks, Mum!'

The three Malfoys joined their friends and were introduced to the Grangers.

Molly was very tempted to ask Narcissa to let her hold the baby. At the same time, Sirius wondered how his cousin had managed to convince Lucius to have another child; when Abby winked at him, he understood that there might have been a tad of Voodoo included in the convincing.

'A lot happened while I was away,' Sirius declared softly.

'Hello, Cousin,' Narcissa said serenely. 'You haven't met our little Patrick.'

Sirius had never seen Narcissa so radiant. His surprise accounted for the fact that it took him several seconds to register the un-Malfoy name of the baby.

'Patrick?' Sirius squeaked.

Narcissa chuckled softly and said, 'I love my first son to bits, but it was Lucius who chose his name. He didn't even consult me. I thought it was only fair to choose the name of our second child. Our families have been picking old-fashioned names for too many centuries.'

Sirius nodded slowly.

'Patrick is just as cute as Draco was when he was that small – not that Draco isn't cute now,' Molly said, which made Draco blush furiously.

They all went to the bank to help the Grangers change Muggle currency to Galleons. Then, they went to Madam Malkin's.

Ron was happy that the ladies were concentrating on Hermione and Kelly, as it allowed him to have his measurements taken quickly and quietly.

Draco's customer-file was regularly updated; therefore Narcissa merely had to order the robes that any Hogwarts student would require.

Harry was growling a bit.

'What's wrong?' Sirius asked him.

Harry shrugged.

Severus chuckled and said, 'I promise to take you to my tailor when you're a bit older, Darling. Besides, we can't traumatize a poor Muggle by asking him to make your school uniforms.'

Harry pouted, which prompted Severus to hug him. Remus was watching Sirius closely because he didn't entirely trust his old friend yet; however, Sirius merely looked happy to see his godson loved so much and so well cared for.

Kate leant closer to Remus and whispered in his ear, 'The Sciutos and Grissoms wouldn't have allowed him to come back if he were still the same man.'

Remus turned slightly to look at her, and he winked.

Sirius caught that, and he growled without noticing it. Severus, Harry and Ducky did notice it, and the three of them chuckled softly.

'What?' Sirius wondered as he looked at them.

Severus took a few Galleons from his pocket, handed them to Harry and said, 'Why don't you go shop for burnet seed in the Potions store with your godfather?'

'Sure, Sev!' Harry said joyfully.

Before Sirius could react, Harry had grabbed his hand and was dragging him out of the seamstress' shop. Once outside, Harry told Sirius that Remus was absolutely not interested in Kate in a romantic way; Harry added with a smirk he'd borrowed from Severus that Sirius was an idiot if he didn't invite Kate for a drink once they were done shopping. Sirius was still gaping when they reached the Potions store. There, Sirius was quite surprised to see that the attendants and the owner knew Harry.

'You've got a weird smile,' Harry said when they left the store.

'It's just that…' Sirius paused briefly, took a deep breath and added, 'Lily was quite good with potions. I bet you inherited her gift, and Mallard is certainly helping you.'

'Sev told me that she was good,' Harry said dreamily.

'She was more gifted than any of us. Mallard was slightly better than her in Potions because he's got quite a gift,' Sirius said.

'Oh! When you say "Mallard", you mean Sev. I thought you meant Uncle Ducky,' Harry said with a giggle.

'I have a hard time calling him Prince-Mallard, but don't tell him,' Sirius told his godson. Sirius's tone was serious.

'Why?' Harry wondered.

'I know he worships his mother, and I know she was abused by his father, but she should have protected him better,' Sirius said.

'Uncle Ducky says that life isn't always easy,' Harry said.

Sirius laughed softly and said, 'Those two are really rubbing off on you.'

Harry was grinning from ear to ear when they joined the others again.

Patrick was now cuddled by Molly, and Narcissa was saying that she'd like to have a daughter.

'I'm sure you can convince your husband to have one more kid,' DiNozzo encouraged her.

'Or you can ask our favourite Potions master to help you,' Remus added.

'Nonsense,' Shannon declared. 'You ask one of your house elves to Apparate Patrick to our house, you get some wine, a nice dinner, and you seduce your man.'

'Gibbs, you're blushing,' DiNozzo pointed out bravely – or maybe without thinking.

Kelly squeaked.

Harry chuckled and asked his sister, 'Witch or wizard?'

It was Molly who answered automatically, 'Wizard.'

'But you're not a seer, Mum,' Ginny said, puzzled.

'I bet your mama can tell that without being a seer,' Gibbs said gently.

'Wizard?' Shannon asked Kelly and Abby.

The two witches with seer abilities nodded several times.

'Cool! A brother will be a nice change,' Harry joked.

Kelly tickled him.

'Congratulations, Boss,' DiNozzo said.

DiNozzo was very happy for his boss and mentor, but there was just a hint of sadness in his eyes.

'Don't worry,' Abby said, with her eerie seer-voice, 'you'll meet the love of your life next year.'

DiNozzo was so surprised that he sat down on a pin-cushion. Severus healed him with a flick of his wand.

'Could you tell me more?' DiNozzo inquired eagerly.

Abby moved her head, as if she were trying to access data about the future. She growled when she said, 'I can see nothing!'

'I can,' Kelly said.

'You're dreadfully pale, Kid,' a very worried Sirius said.

'I've seen what could happen,' Kelly said with a shudder. She looked at Harry and said, 'I'm going to need your help.'

'Anything,' Harry answered instantly.

'I'm willing to help,' Draco and Ron said in synch, which made them grin.

'Don't forget me!' Hermione said. 'I don't know what I can do to help you, but if you need someone to read books very fast, it's me you need.'

Her parents nodded. Mrs Granger said, 'Hermione loves books.'

'Thanks!' Kelly said. 'I'll need your help, and… Severus?'

'I'll help you, too, if you don't break any school rules,' he promised.

'I'll help you if you need me,' Remus said.

'Count me in,' Sirius added.

'Fantastic! There's no way in hell I'm letting what I saw happen,' Kelly said.

'Maybe it's meant to happen that way,' Kate said philosophically.

Kelly looked at her with eyes that seemed older than the number of her years and said, 'No way, Aunt Kate!'

Her declaration was so intense that it chilled the mood.

Hermione felt that it'd be good to change the topic slightly. 'So, you're a seer,' she said.

'Yup! The first visions were not really clear, but when Aunt Abbs tutored me, she taught me how to focus,' Kelly explained.

'It's nice to have magical people in one's family to show you a thing or two before you go to school,' Hermione said with a small voice.

Her parents hugged her. Their little girl had always been a bookworm. When dealing with anything Muggle, they could help her, but when it came to magical training, they were powerless – and there was nothing in the UK to help Muggle parents of first-generation magical children.

'Abbs became our aunt, but she was our tutor, first,' Harry said.

Abby explained how the magical school system worked in her country for kids in Hermione's situation – or Harry's and Kelly's. Hermione was on the verge of tears.

It broke Sirius's heart. 'Maybe I could help. I know that school starts in two months, but I could tutor Miss Granger,' he suggested.

'Please!' Hermione begged her parents.

'That's the plan,' Kelly said impudently.

'Insufferable seer!' Draco teased her.

Kelly winked at him.

Narcissa flinched, and Gibbs noticed it. When they were going to their next stop to buy the children's school books, he said, 'I know you like my daughter. What's bothering you about Draco liking her?'

Narcissa whispered her answer, 'Lucius has another girl in mind for his _heir_. Draco doesn't know yet.'

'Kelly can't see that because she likes Draco,' Gibbs said softly, more to himself than to Narcissa.

Shannon had been listening. She did the most logical thing to do as she called, 'Abigail!'

When her full name was used, Abby knew that she was either in trouble, or badly needed – and she knew she'd done nothing wrong… recently, that is.

The Gibbses and Narcissa told her what was going on.

'There's one easy thing to do,' Abby said. 'You can betroth Draco and Kelly. It's a contract that can be annulled, and it would prevent the kids from having their hearts broken.'

'Aren't they a bit young?' Gibbs asked.

'Gibbs,' Abby said quietly, her ponytails moving with each minute head movement, 'do you fancy telling Kelly that Draco is promised to another girl? Besides, Lucius could force Draco to enter a very binding contract.'

He looked at his eldest child and couldn't picture himself breaking her little heart.

'Wouldn't Mr Malfoy object?' Gibbs asked.

'We don't have to tell him,' Abby said with a feral grin. 'Oi! Beloved brother! I need your help with something!' she called Severus.

The potion that would _help_ Lucius consent to his heir's betrothal to a Muggle-born witch would be ready within a week. The Gibbses and Narcissa agreed to wait for that period before telling their children what Lucius was planning.

They all invaded the bookstore and got shop attendants to help them buy what all the children needed. Sirius was so happy to have a kid to spoil that a house-elf had to make a special delivery to the Grangers' to take all the books that Sirius bought for Hermione. The Grangers protested a bit in the beginning, but Remus managed to whisper to them that it'd be kind to let Sirius do that for their daughter. Hermione was walking on clouds.

'Is there a spell to read faster?' Hermione asked Sirius.

'Yes, there's one, but you mustn't use it before you're at least sixteen. You don't want to damage your pretty brain cells, do you?' Sirius said. 'Promise?'

Hermione nodded fervently.

Kate placed her chin on Sirius's shoulder and said, 'You're good.'

'Grissom taught me well, and I observed him with his latest charge,' Sirius said, blushing.

Kate caressed the tip of his nose and winked at him before walking to Abby.

Harry mimed his godfather to go after her, but Sirius shook his head.

'What do you think is worse? Inviting her for a drink or having Harry shout something that might embarrass you?' Severus asked Sirius.

Sirius blinked.

'Harry could do something,' Remus chimed in.

Sirius went to invite Kate for a drink after shopping.

'We're evil,' Remus told Severus.

'No, we're doing what's best for him,' Severus objected. 'Besides, we'll be free to go and see Alan together.'

'Don't you want to introduce Sirius to Alan?' Remus inquired.

'Yes, but let's save that for later, when Alan can make him spill all the beans about him and Kate,' Severus said.

'Cunning,' Remus granted his friend.

'Head of Slytherin, my dear,' Severus declared with a chuckle.

Remus grinned.

The next stop was quite important; they were going to Ollivanders.

The wand store was too small for them to go shop all together at the same time. They went family by family.

The Grangers and Sirius went first. In fact, Hermione was so excited about buying her first wand that the adults feared she might spontaneously combust if they didn't let her go first.

Then, Narcissa bought Draco's wand. Next, Kelly walked into the store with her parents and Abby.

'Is there anything I should worry about concerning Kelly's wand?' Gibbs asked Abby.

'Absolutely not,' Kelly told her father.

'Then, why did Abbs come with us?' Gibbs wondered.

'Because Miss Sciuto needs to buy a core for a wand,' Ollivander explained.

Gibbs turned to the old wand-maker and asked, 'Are you a seer, too?'

Ollivander chuckled warmly and said, 'Absolutely not, but a house-elf paid me a visit. I was informed that a young lady would be in need of a core.'

'You've lost me there,' Shannon declared. 'You seldom use a wand, Abbs!'

'My wand is absolutely fine, thank you. I have seen that one of the kids is going to need a wand today,' the young witch explained. She looked at Ollivander and asked, 'May I use a bit of magic in your store?'

'Of course, my dear,' the old man answered amiably.

While Ollivander found a wand that would channel Kelly's magic efficiently, Abby spelled a core into a willow wand that she'd harvested in her parents' garden. By the time Kelly had found her wand, Abby had put a spell on the new wand to have it float near the ceiling.

Abby was about to tell Ollivander something, but he said, 'I know what to do.'

Abby walked to the counter, leant over it, and kissed Ollivander's cheek, which made him smile from ear to ear.

Once they were back on the street, Gibbs asked, 'What was that?'

Abby used sign language to tell her boss that Molly was going to buy a new wand for Percy because he'd been named Prefect, and Ron would inherit his older brother's wand.

'That's not fair!' Harry growled.

Gibbs and Abby looked at him; both had forgotten that Harry would certainly be tempted to "listen" to them since he was fluent in that language.

'Don't worry, Sweetie,' Abby told him. 'There's a gift waiting to fall into his hands in the store.'

'That's really rad!' Kelly said joyfully.

'Mr Ollivander is going to tell Molly that the wand chose Ron and that it's a gift,' Abby explained.

'How sweet of you,' McGee said softly.

Abby blushed.

Molly was so happy to get two new wands, but to pay only for Percy's, that she hadn't really questioned what happened, and Abby's gift was gladly accepted.

Percy was too self-centred to notice anything but his brand new wand. Ron was trying to understand who had hexed Ollivander because the wand-maker had never, _ever_, given a wand away for free.

When Molly and her two sons got out of the store, Fred and George started pointing, not too discreetly, at Abby; however, only Ron spotted their odd behaviour, and he put two and two together.

'What do you know about the wand I _won_?' Ron asked Abby.

'I know that it's a good wand – _your_ wand – and that you're going to need it in the future,' Abby answered.

'Thank you,' Ron said, very moved.

Kelly tugged her mother's sleeve, and Shannon leant over so that her daughter could whisper in her ear.

'Mum, I know the Weasleys don't have that much money, but why was Aunt Molly ready to buy Percy a new wand and not Ron? Ron's the one who really needed one. It wasn't fair to him,' Kelly said.

Shannon didn't know what to tell her daughter, neither did Gibbs.

DiNozzo caressed Kelly's hair and said softly, 'Life isn't always fair, Kelly. She's proud of what Percy achieved in school, and as long as Ron got a wand, even if it was a second-hand one, she thought she was doing the right thing.'

Kelly nodded.

'For an only child, you understand the Weasleys quite well,' Gibbs told DiNozzo.

'I'm one of your agents, Boss. It doesn't take a Nobel Price laureate to understand that Ginny is precious even though she's number seven because she's the only witch, and Ron has to fend for himself,' DiNozzo said.

Up to that day, Shannon had been very discreet and had never pestered DiNozzo about his family life, but a few things he'd said about his parents were really bothering her, and she decided to invite DiNozzo over to dinner to make him spill the beans about his relatives – even though she knew her husband wouldn't approve. Shannon thought that DiNozzo probably had a few ghosts in his heart, and she wanted to help him heal.

While Molly and Percy were talking with Narcissa and Draco, while Ron and the twins were admiring Ron's new wand, while the NIS team, Shannon and Kelly were praising Abby's initiative, Harry went to shop for his first wand with his nana and his two chosen father figures. Remus was very proud to see that Sirius noticed what Harry was doing, but he was too engrossed in a talk with the eager Hermione to care too much; Minerva winked at her latest Hogwarts fellow. The next moment, Sirius was including them both in his explanation, and they focussed on Hermione.

The door of the store closed behind Harry and the Mallards.

'Harry Potter,' Ollivander said in a purr. The wand-maker was behind his counter, waiting for them to walk to him.

.

(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	10. Chapter 10

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've finished writing this story (153 pages!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

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Harry looked at his fathers, and both pushed him gently towards the counter. With one look for his grandmother, Harry walked to Mr Ollivander to buy a wand.

Ollivander tilted his head and grinned. 'I remember the day all your parents with magic in their veins came to buy their first wands,' he said.

'All… all my parents, Sir?' Harry said, puzzled by such an odd way of greeting.

'Well, I can see James Potter and Lily Evans in you, but you're linked to Severus Snape as well,' Ollivander said. 'And you're magically linked to this Muggle young man,' he added, looking at Ducky, who, in comparison to Ollivander, looked young, indeed.

Both Ducky and Harry were about to tell the wand-maker that Severus had changed his surname, but Mrs Mallard beat them to it.

'My grandson is called Prince-Mallard now,' she said.

Ollivander looked at her and exhaled slowly. He said, 'He was still a Snape when he bought his first wand, Victoria.'

'You've always been such a pain in the neck when it comes to being precise, Oliver,' she almost growled.

Ollivander chuckled and said, 'I've missed you, Vita.'

She huffed, hit the wooden floor with her cane, and spat, 'Obviously not that much.'

Harry, Severus and Ducky were completely at sea, but they could feel the tension between _Oliver_ and _Victoria_.

'I'm the last wand-maker in my family. I couldn't leave, Vita. You know that. I told you why I had to stay here,' Ollivander went on.

'And we weren't good enough to be invited into your world. Well, too bad for you, Oliver. We've had a nice life without you,' she said. She turned to Harry and said, 'I'm sorry, Darling. I thought he would have changed after all these years, but I was wrong. I'd better leave.'

The next instant, she'd called Kitty, and the faithful elf Disapparated with the old lady.

'Weird,' Harry said.

'Maybe not,' Severus stated in a whisper.

'Mother never hinted that she'd had ties in the magical community. I thought she was exiled to the Muggle world when she didn't show signs of magic,' Ducky said.

Ollivander sighed sadly. 'We met long ago, when I was much younger. I was harvesting wood for future wands when we met. We… I… It's very complicated,' he said.

'Dad, do you want to go after Nana?' Severus asked Ducky.

'Kitty will never answer my call if Mother has forbidden her to do so,' Ducky pointed out.

'Kitty will always answer me,' Harry declared.

Severus was beginning to understand why his grandmother was so upset; however, he needed to search Ollivander's mind without having Ducky around.

'Call her,' he told Harry. 'Nana looked upset; it might be good if you went to give her a hug,' Severus told Ducky.

When Ducky nodded, Harry called Kitty, who answered immediately.

'I think our Harry needs a wand,' Severus said as soon as Ducky had left the store with Kitty's help.

Harry didn't know Severus's plan, but he, Remus and Ducky had taught him enough strategy to understand that there was something Severus wanted to do. He needed to play along with Severus in order for Severus to succeed.

For all his gifts, Ollivander never felt Severus's invasion of his mind. Severus was so surprised by his discoveries that he almost missed a vital piece of information about the wand that had chosen Harry.

'What did you say?' Severus asked Ollivander.

The old wizard glared at Severus and said, 'I was mentioning the fact that the core of Mr Potter's wand is quite unusual because it's a phoenix feather. That bird agreed to give only two feathers, and I sold the first wand years ago.'

'What does it mean that there are only two wands with the same core?' Harry asked before Severus could ask the question that was bothering him.

Ollivander absolutely beamed at Harry and launched himself into an explanation about wand making, which fascinated Harry.

'You'd make a fine apprentice, Mr Potter,' Ollivander said.

'Really?!' Harry exclaimed excitedly.

'I'd never thought about taking an apprentice, but since I'm the last in the family, and since you're the first customer to express any interest for the wand-making process, I could show you the trade if you're interested,' Ollivander said.

'Pity I can't ask my sister or Aunt Abby if this is what's meant to happen!' Harry said with a chuckle.

'We can discuss this later. You'll have to be a bit older, and an apprenticeship would mean that your Protectors agree with your choice,' Ollivander said.

'And the War will have to be over for good, I imagine,' Harry declared philosophically.

Severus noticed the old wizard's very discreet flinch. 'Tell us about the other wand,' Severus demanded.

'The other wand chose the Dark Lord,' Ollivander said.

Severus was tempted to ask Ollivander to find another wand for Harry, but the boy's next question surprised both wizards.

'Does that mean that the wands know we're supposed to fight?' Harry wondered.

'Brother wands cannot fight each other,' Ollivander explained.

'We're going to need to know more about that,' Severus said.

'Your sister, Mr Potter's aunt and tutor if I'm not mistaken, is rather learned in wand-making,' Ollivander said.

Severus groaned and added, 'Then I'll have to question her. Any advantage in a battle is precious.'

'I heard that you're not a big fan of wands, Professor Prince-Mallard, but my art might help, indeed,' Ollivander said.

'Then maybe we'll meet again,' Harry said.

'Certainly, Mr Potter,' Ollivander said.

'Why don't you join your friends and show them your purchase?' Severus told Harry.

Harry nodded and winked; he understood that Severus wanted to say something to the old wizard.

'Goodbye, Mr Ollivander,' Harry said as he walked to the door.

When they were alone, Severus turned to Ollivander and asked, 'Will you be on Harry's side when Riddle comes back?'

'I don't take sides, as well you know,' Ollivander said with a smirk.

Severus took a few steps towards the door in his turn, and then he swirled around theatrically. 'I might be completely mistaken, but I think that your feelings for my grandmother, Victoria Mallard, might change your position in the War,' he said.

Ollivander banged his closed fist on the counter and growled his answer, 'Vita was the one who left overnight!'

'You might want to consider how your relatives welcomed her back then. You'll have to remember the last words she told you, and what your answer was. Lastly, you'll do the math,' Severus said.

Ollivander was still gaping when Severus closed the door behind him.

Ollivander's parents were still alive when he'd met Miss Victoria Mallard, and they were far from being thrilled by the fact that the young girl was a Squib from a Pureblood family. The fact that she had no magic made the Ollivanders consider her as worthless.

The night before she disappeared into the Muggle world for good, she'd been asking him how he felt about children. Oliver Ollivander had callously told his lover that he didn't see himself having children with a Squib. Fate made him pay for his words because no witch ever wanted him for husband.

Ollivander went to his cellar to look for an old issue of the _Daily Prophet_ where there was an article about the family who had rescued Harry Potter. He couldn't remember if Victoria had had other children in addition to the son who'd protected young Harry; he couldn't remember anything about that Protector, either.

If Donald Mallard was his son, as Severus had hinted, it meant that he was no longer alone – provided Victoria forgave him and allowed him back in her life. If Donald was his son, he had three grandchildren by magical adoption. The icing on the cake for the old wand-maker was that Harry sounded genuinely interested in wands. The Ollivanders' store might not close for good after his death, if he had a successor.

Ollivander decided to gather a maximum of information, and then act for the best. Severus was right, if he had a family – _that_ family, there was no way he'd be able to remain neutral in the War.

'Where next?' an eager Hermione asked outside the Ollivanders' store.

'The Potions shop, Miss Granger,' Severus said.

'You'll see, Mallard is quite something with potions,' Sirius whispered to his temporary charge.

Hermione beamed at him, and Remus and Severus traded surprised looks. Both professors made a mental note to ask Abby a few details about her own tutor, the man who seemed to have located and activated Sirius's brain.

'Darling, could you ask Kitty to bring Nana and Dad back here, please?' Severus asked Harry.

Mrs Mallard was still a bit upset when she was Apparated back onto Diagon Alley.

'We need to shop with you,' Severus said as he offered her his arm.

Harry's big, innocent eyes made her cave.

Ducky looked a bit pale; Severus sent him a thought asking him if he was all right, and Ducky answered by explaining that for the first time in his entire life, his mother had mentioned his father. Ducky had always thought that he was the son of a Muggle, but the perspective of being the son of a wizard who had rejected his mother was troubling him deeply.

Severus sent his father comforting thoughts, reminding him that it was human to make mistakes. Since Severus had committed such a huge blunder when he was still a teen, Ducky didn't have the heart to be too harsh with Ollivander. At the same time, Severus searched his grandmother's mind to confirm his theory, which he did.

Severus was convinced that Abby would find a way to bring the wand-maker into their pack.

They were about to reach the Potions store when a booming shout stopped them all.

'Blimey! 'Arry Potter!'

It was Hagrid who was walking towards their group.

Hagrid was very happy to meet them all, but he had a pest invasion to deal with at Hogwarts – apparently, a few slugs were adapting to magic and had grown a lot and had become resistant to repellents. Hagrid left for Hogwarts, but only after Ducky and Severus said he could buy Harry a pet that he'd take to school.

The Potions store owner and his shop attendants were a bit surprised to see Harry come back so soon – and with so many people. The attendants were panicking a bit because of the number of future Hogwarts students who wanted to buy supplies.

The owner was all ears when Severus suggested that preparing kits with First-Year supplies would save time.

'Since you're so well organized, Severus, would you have a few minutes to show Hermione how to brew a simple potion?' Sirius asked.

Severus grinned and purred, 'You are still a complete catastrophe with potions, aren't you?'

'Mallard, I could burn a cauldron by looking at it,' Sirius admitted with a merry chuckle.

'Send me an owl or your elf, and if the Grangers agree, you could Apparate Miss Granger to the Burrow. I tutor Kelly and Harry on Mondays and Thursdays,' Severus said.

'Thanks, Mallard,' Sirius said.

Sirius went back to his new charge, who was looking at all the ingredients jars as if they were the most precious things in the world and asking thousands of questions to the poor attendant who was taking care of her.

Ducky squeezed Severus's arm. The old man was so proud of his son; the old Severus would have hexed Sirius to the Moon for the mere pleasure of doing so, but Severus _Mallard_ didn't need to fight Sirius.

The Potions store was bigger than Ollivanders, but with all the children and their families in it, it was a bit crowded. That was an advantage for Severus, who wanted to find a way to have a word with his sister about Ducky's biological father; he managed to catch McGee's eye, and the NIS agent sent Abby to the side of the store where Severus was.

'What's wrong?' Abby asked in a whisper.

'Can you see anything about Nana and Ollivander?' Severus asked softly.

Abby closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she blinked several times and she said, 'Not a thing.'

Severus grinned.

'That's a scary look, Bro,' she said.

Severus slid his hand in hers and dragged her outside discreetly.

'Well, to make things short, Nana and Ollivander were an item in the past, and Dad is their son. The Ollivanders sent Nana back to the Muggle world, and apparently, our grandfather didn't run after her. We've got to do something to bring them back together. Besides, Harry likes him. What can we do?' Severus asked.

Abby took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

Before she could say a word, Minerva, who had followed them in her Animagus form, asked, 'Is Ollivander really Donald's father?'

'Yes,' Severus answered.

'I'm going to go hex that old fool,' Minerva growled.

Minerva was already walking towards the wand store, and Abby was slightly bouncing on her heels with excitation, when Severus took a few quick steps and caught up with the older witch.

'Do you think you can bring them back together?' Severus asked her.

Minerva smiled at Severus and placed her right hand on his cheek, as her thumb drew circles there. She could still see the child in Severus, and she knew how much her companion loved the son that he'd adopted by magic; she'd been working for too long with Severus to consider him as her child – the way she did with Abby – but she loved him dearly.

'The family needs him, Severus. I will smack him, hex him, reason with him, but I'll manage to find a way to include him in our pack,' she said. 'From a few things that Nana told me, I'm convinced that she still loves the father of her son, and Donald will be happy to get to know his father.'

'Do you think that he'll accept a Muggle son?' Severus inquired.

'He'd better!' Minerva growled again. 'If he ends up being as bigoted as his folks, Diagon Alley will be short one wand-maker!'

Severus hugged Minerva, which surprised her a little, but pleased her a lot.

'This is going to work,' Abby declared.

'I thought you couldn't see a thing about them!' Severus exclaimed.

'I can't, but have you ever seen Mum fail when she looks that determined?' Abby asked rhetorically.

Severus looked towards the wand store and smiled. His sister had a point – quite a point.

'Let's go finish our shopping,' Abby said. 'And we've got to get to know Hermione better.'

'Why?' Severus asked.

'She's the future Mrs Ronald Weasley, and one of Harry's best friends,' Abby said.

'Excellent reason,' Severus conceded.

Abby decided to wait to tell her brother about Hermione's role in the end of the War until they were back home and could activate Secrecy spells.

The end of the shopping session was quiet.

The Weasleys went back to their side of the Burrow with the three Malfoys, though neither Molly nor Narcissa would be surprised if Draco rushed to the Mallards' side of the Burrow to spend more time with Kelly.

Shannon asked DiNozzo to come and spend the evening with her, Gibbs, and the girls and help her entertain little Anna. It was a trick so that he wouldn't feel left out when most of the other adults went out.

Abby had a date with McGee, and Sirius would meet Kate at the Leaky Caldron after he'd planned a schedule for Hermione with the Grangers. Remus and Severus had announced that they'd go visit their Muggle friend, Alan O'Neill – and certainly chit-chat with him for a few hours at the gay pub near Alan's flat.

It should have been a rather quiet evening, but Hagrid had found what he wanted to give Harry… and Kelly. There was a cage and a box waiting for the children on the kitchen table at the Mallards' Burrow.

'Master Rubeus have asked me to tell you that he have thought it would be unfair to buy something for Harry and nothing for his sister, but if you doesn't agree, he'll understood,' Kitty explained.

Gibbs could see what was in the cage, but not the contents of the box. 'Is it safe?' he asked the elf.

Kitty nodded immediately.

'Then it's very kind of Mr Hagrid to include Kel' in this,' Shannon said.

Kelly and Harry ran to the kitchen table. On the cage, there was a card with Harry's name, and it contained a beautiful snowy owl.

'It are a girl, Master Harry,' Kitty said.

'She's fantabulous!' the boy exclaimed. 'I'll have to find her a name now!'

Kelly opened the box where her name was written.

'It are a girl, as well, Mistress Kelly,' Kitty announced.

'A black kitten!' Kelly squealed.

'Mrow?'

That sound came from the floor below the table where Severus had been sleeping. The black cat jumped on the table. The owl tilted her head when she noticed the adult cat and hooted softly; Severus purred at her.

'_Me_,' the kitten said with a tiny voice from her box.

The owl and Severus seemed to talk to her, as if to encourage her to jump out of the box. The kitten tried to leave the cardboard container, but she was too small, and Kelly helped her.

The kitten purred loudly.

In synch, Kelly and Harry said, 'We need to thank Hagrid.'

They all chuckled.

'You're the one with an owl,' Kelly pointed out.

'Okay, you write the thank-you note, and I'll find her a name. We can't send her out without a name,' Harry said.

'All right, I write it, but you'll add a little something,' Kelly said.

Harry grinned and nodded.

Kelly retreated to the parlour to write Hagrid a note.

With the help of the entire family, the owl was named Hedwig, and the kitten Serena.

Hedwig's first delivery wasn't too far since she only flew to Hogwarts, a few miles away, but she liked being greeted by Hagrid – and she loved the treats he had for her.

Severus was a bit surprised to see another cat on his territory, but he adopted the young Serena and started showing her what she should know about the world.

The summer was very pleasant.

The Gibbses were preparing everything Kelly would need to go to Hogwarts and to stay in the UK as long as she was schooled. Gibbs was also getting used to the idea of having a wizard in a few months; he was delighted that Shannon had seduced and tricked him and would give him a son in a few months. Abby knew her boss's _dark_ secret, but she would never reveal that it wasn't a macho thing – Gibbs was looking forward to discovering what kind of mischief a baby wizard would cause. Kelly and Anna were his beloved daughters, but when he saw how Harry was, Gibbs very much wanted to see what kind of magic his very own baby wizard would bring into their lives.

Albus requested that his teachers help him with something secret, which slowed down a bit the work Severus and Remus were doing with Harry and Kelly because the two teachers had to adapt their schedules to the ones of their fellows who were involved in Albus's operation.

Abby spent most of her time with McGee, and they got to know each other in a more personal way.

Sirius spent a lot of time tutoring Hermione. At one point, he ended up being almost exhausted because by day, he really wanted to help the young witch, who was so eager to learn about magic, and in the evenings, Sirius was dating Kate.

As Kate's best friend, Abby suggested that Kate help tutor Hermione. The little witch was taught self-defence in between spells and charms. Hermione and Kate loved it when Sirius explained the principles of the Animagus transformation; Hermione was too young and too untrained to even begin to show the first signs of transformation, but Sirius was convinced that she'd be an Animagus in a few years.

DiNozzo was becoming Anna's regular sitter. He was so connected to the baby girl that Shannon reflected that he'd be a good godfather for her second witch. DiNozzo practically melted on the floor when Gibbs asked him if he'd agree to become Anna's Protector officially. One day in mid-August, there was a very moving ceremony in which Minerva, as head of their chosen family, linked Anna and DiNozzo.

There had been another ceremony in the family, but it was a very discreet one. Abby had had a word with Kelly and _Dragon_, and she'd explained that Lucius was planning to have Draco enter an unbreakable betrothal with a Pureblood witch whom Draco barely knew. The two children knew that Lucius's plan was a bad thing, and they agreed to be betrothed in a free bond.

Lucius was given a dose of Severus's potion with the help of a house-elf; it helped Lucius make the decision that would be best for his son, and he told his wife to find a good mate for their first-born. For Draco's safety, only the Gibbses, Narcissa, Abby, Severus, Ducky and Harry knew about the betrothal; it wouldn't be mentioned again until Kelly and Draco either broke their engagement or asked their parents to allow them to get married.

The strangest event of the summer was certainly the on-going addition of Ollivander to the Mallard pack. Minerva had seriously lectured the old wizard on his obsolete prejudices, and she'd convinced him to woo Mrs Mallard. Minerva didn't get to spend enough time with her companion, therefore she forbade him to play chaperon for his mother and father – and since Ollivander needed to pay for being so callous years ago, it was young Mr Palmer who was officially, and magically, appointed their chaperon. Ollivander was grateful for the second chance he was given, and he was ready to make amends to win his family back. Their friends could see that with a bit of time, Ollivander would become a Mallard – which suited Harry, who was becoming more and more interested in wand-making.

At last, it was time for the future, over-excited, Hogwarts students to go to London to take the Hogwarts Express.

Gibbs pointed out that it was a waste of time to take the train, since the cottage was a mile from the Hogsmeade station, but Kelly glared at her dad, and Severus took the children's side when he said that the train ride was for bonding with one's future classmates.

Remus and Severus decided to ride with the children.

At the station, they met Sirius, who was saying goodbye to his temporary charge.

'If there is anything you want to ask, you can ask your Prefect, your Head, and even Mallard. You can borrow a school owl and contact me. If there's a real emergency, you can Fire-call me. Don't forget that Irma Pince is an astounding librarian,' Sirius was saying.

'She'll be fine, Sirius,' Remus said kindly.

'Mr Grissom is more worried than I am,' Hermione intervened.

Sirius looked so young when he pouted that it made Remus and Severus chuckle at his expense.

Hermione tugged Sirius's sleeve, and when he leant closer to her, she pecked his cheek and thanked him.

'It was a pleasure to help you, Hermione,' Sirius said.

'You'll have more time to see Kate, now,' Hermione pointed out.

Sirius blushed and chuckled at the same time. 'Kate is back at NIS, you know, and I have a few things to do here,' he said.

'Are you really trying to do it?' Hermione asked him excitedly.

'Don't pester Mr Grissom,' Mr Granger said.

'She's only eager to see me do something good,' Sirius said.

'Are you certain it's wise to twist the Minister's arm to change the law concerning first generation witches and wizards?' Remus asked, slightly worried that his old friend would end up in an awkward position with the Ministry.

'We've got to do the best for our kids. There's a tutoring system in the US, summer training in Western Europe, temple teachings in China, special evening-schools in Japan, and so on and so forth. Hogwarts is a very good school, but it's unfair to leave the children of Muggles unprepared,' Sirius declared with passion.

'Getting the Ministry to agree with you and actually do something will keep you busy,' Severus said.

Sirius simply nodded.

The children said goodbye to their relatives and boarded the train.

Remus was just stepping on the first step of the Hogwarts Express when two old friends called him and Severus. The Longbottoms were seeing their son off.

'We never had the opportunity to thank you properly, Severus,' Alice said.

Frank was nodding fervently as he shook hands with Remus.

'I'm glad I could help you,' Severus said.

'You rescued us from a long nightmare. Thanks, mate!' Frank said.

Severus shook hands with Frank in his turn. The handshake turned into an impromptu pulse checking.

'I hope you're not overdoing it,' Severus said as his index and middle fingers were still on Frank's wrist.

'No, but we've got to be ready. You know why,' Alice said, her voice trailing off.

Her son, Neville, was hiding behind her, and she didn't want to mention the War or the Death Eaters in front of him.

'Of course,' Severus said.

Alice saw Severus smile, and with his free hand, he grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse, too.

'Right, Albus told me that you were still off duty, but if you want to join our _club_ again, then you'll let me help you,' Severus said.

'We're fine, Severus,' Frank said.

'You've got so much to do,' Alice added.

Severus grinned and said, 'This is going to be teamwork, Mrs Longbottom.'

Remus chuckled when he noticed that Severus was looking at Ducky.

'Dad, would you please examine two live patients for once? I'd like you to help me pinpoint what kind of supplements and potions they need to recover completely,' Severus told Ducky.

'It will be a pleasure, Son,' Ducky answered jovially.

'We are still on leave because the Ministry feels guilty, but we're fine!' Alice protested.

Before the Longbottoms had time to blink or say another word, Remus and Severus had their own wands pointing at their friends' throats. They put their wands back into their sleeves as fast as they'd taken them out.

'They have a point.'

They all turned towards the deep voice of the Auror who had just spoken; Moody had had the feeling that it would be a good idea to inspect Platform 9 ¾ that day.

Frank looked frozen; Alice sighed and admitted that Severus was right.

Sirius, who was nearby, spotted Moody's new trainee and shouted, 'Cousin Nymphadora!'

The young woman who was next to Moody and sporting bright orange hair hexed Sirius as she hissed, 'Don't call me that!'

Sirius retaliated with a simple Tickling charm and said, 'It's your name, Tonks. Get used to it already.'

Moody snorted at that, and then he turned to the Longbottoms and said, 'If you want to keep fighting in the War, you'll let Dr Mallard check your condition. Then, you'll follow the other Mallard's advice, and you'll take whatever foul potions he'll recommend.'

'My potions aren't foul!' Severus protested.

'The taste is sometimes not exactly pleasant,' Sirius intervened.

Severus glared, but he mellowed when Alice promised to listen to him and his dad.

The Longbottoms said goodbye to their son, who boarded the train.

The conductor whistled, and the train started its journey as parents on the platform and kids on board the train waved at one another.

After the train left the station, Severus noticed that Remus was speechless.

'Something wrong, Remus?' Severus inquired.

Remus shook his head, but he still didn't utter a word.

'Remus?' Severus called again.

His friend started blushing, which puzzled Severus until he remembered the Auror trainee, the young and rather cute Tonks.

'You know the good thing?' Severus asked his friend.

Remus shook his head, still speechless.

'She's Grissom's cousin, and he probably knows a few things to help you if you want to date her,' Severus said.

'Why would he help me?' Remus squeaked.

'Because you can ask Abby to enlist Kate to help. My dear sister made it clear that Agent Todd has Grissom wrapped around her finger,' Severus explained. 'If Abby and Kate give the word, Grissom will help.'

'I love your strategy, mate,' Remus said warmly.

'No problem, I remember how I felt when…' Severus's voice trailed off, and he paled significantly.

It pained Remus to see that losing Lily was still making Severus hurt, and he was beginning to think that Severus might _never_ recover at all. The one thing that Remus could do was hug his friend, and he did.

A welcomed diversion showed up when a tiny voice said, 'Pro… Professor Prince-Mallard.'

Neville Longbottom was right behind his two professors.

'Mr Longbottom?' Severus said neutrally.

'I… I wanted to… to thank you, Pro… Professor,' Neville said barely above a murmur.

'Why, Mr Longbottom?' Severus wondered.

Neville looked absolutely terrified to have been so daring. Severus crouched down, so as to look less impressive.

'Neville?' Remus said gently.

The young boy took a deep breath and declared bravely, 'A month after your potion saved Mum and Dad, they took me back with them. Everything was slow, but it was so much better than being with Gran. She was not nice because she thought I was a Squib, and she said I was not worthy of the family. I showed signs of magic to help Mum and Dad. I wanted to thank you… Sir.'

'Oh, Neville,' Severus said sadly. 'I wish I'd found something sooner.'

'You saved Mum and Dad,' Neville insisted.

'I'm glad you could leave your grandmother's house. My grandmother is a Squib and my dad is a Muggle, and it's not nice to be prejudiced against people without magic,' Severus said.

'I don't have much magic,' Neville said softly, looking down.

Severus placed two fingers under the boy's chin to make him look at him and said, 'You haven't started training, Mr Longbottom. If anyone expects you to counter curses today, I'd say that whoever says that is a fool. Even when you've passed your N.E.W.Ts, it'll be just the beginning. We learn things every day.'

Neville looked at his Potions master, gave him a small smile and hugged him briefly.

'Oh! Sorry, Sir!' Neville apologized.

'I'm not your teacher yet, so it's all right, Neville. Remember not to do that in class, or I'll take points from your house – even if you become one of my Slytherins. Understood?' Severus said.

'Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir,' Neville said, slightly more relaxed.

Severus stood up and a young girl said, 'Excuse me?'

She was small and dark-haired.

'Yes, Miss Parkinson?' Severus said.

He knew the girl because she was the only child of a Death Eater, and she was the one that Lucius had wanted for his daughter-in-law before Narcissa, Abby and himself had stepped in to help Draco and Kelly.

'I've found a toad. What shall I do with him?' she asked.

Neville turned around and exclaimed, 'Trevor!'

'I think you have your answer, Miss Parkinson. You can return Trevor to Mr Longbottom,' Severus said.

'And maybe keep him company,' Remus suggested.

Pansy Parkinson nodded and added, 'And show him a Location spell if Trevor wanders off again.'

'Excellent!' Severus praised the girl.

Pansy took Neville's hand and dragged him to the compartment she was sharing with a few friends.

'Do you think he can handle being with future Slytherins?' Remus asked his friend.

'Yes,' Severus declared confidently.

Remus smiled, trusting his fellow.

'Come, friend, we have kids to watch,' Remus said.

When they reached their compartment, Harry, Kelly, Ron, Hermione and Draco were playing games together.

The trip to Hogsmeade was rather quiet.

Remus and Severus Disapparated to the castle as soon as they reached the station.

The first-years were welcomed by Hagrid, who took them to the castle across the lake.

Minerva took over and escorted them to the Great Hall to be sorted.

Minerva received from Albus the list of students to be sorted by alphabetical order. There was a stool before the High Table, and a battered old hat perched on it.

Before the Sorting started, the Sorting Hat sang a song that encouraged all the students to see beyond house rivalries and unite against the impending darkness.

Minerva started calling the students one by one.

Kelly Gibbs was the first of the group of friends to be sorted.

"Um… a seer from faraway," the Hat told Kelly in a thought. "There is courage in your family. You belong in…"

Kelly had no favourite house, so she wasn't really surprised when the Sorting Hat shouted, 'Gryffindor!'

Right after Kelly, Hermione Granger was the next to be sorted. Sirius had told her what to expect; therefore, she wasn't surprised when she heard the Hat speak in her head.

"Um… Difficult. There is bravery that would do well in Gryffindor, the ambition of a Slytherin, the curiosity of a Ravenclaw, and the fidelity of a Hufflepuff. Difficult. Very difficult," the Hat reflected.

"I trust you," Hermione thought simply.

The Hat grinned as it shouted, 'Ravenclaw!'

Neville Longbottom's turn finally came.

"Oh, a gift with plants," the Hat thought, which made Neville nearly jump out of his skin. "You would do well in Hufflepuff. And yet, you have so much to prove to the world. The best motivation for you will be in…"

Neville was holding his breath when the hat shouted, 'Slytherin!'

'Becoming a seer, I see,' Remus whispered into Severus's ear.

'I hope Augusta Longbottom has a heart attack when she hears I'll be her grandson's Head,' Severus said.

'We'll take good care of the kid,' Remus said.

'We must take care of all those kids,' Severus whispered to no one in particular.

Remus missed a few sortings as he observed his friend. Severus was happy to see Harry joining Hogwarts, but Remus knew that it cruelly reminded Severus that he couldn't owl Lily to tell her where her son had been sorted.

Draco Malfoy's sorting caused a bit of stress because he stayed under the Hat for a few minutes, which was quite unusual. In fact, the boy and the Hat were discussing the best house for him, and Draco had quite a hard time trying to convince the Hat that he knew where he wanted to go. However, each time Draco argued something logical, it encouraged the Hat to choose a house that wasn't the one where Draco wanted to go.

At long last, Draco won, and the Hat announced, 'Gryffindor!'

'He's besotted with Kelly,' Severus said fondly.

'How will Lucius take it?' Remus inquired worriedly.

'Very well,' Severus said. He leant much closer to Remus so that his friend would be the only one to hear him, and he added, 'If he doesn't want the hormonal Narcissa to emasculate him with a rusty old spoon.'

'Pregnant again?' Remus asked.

Severus nodded.

'Harry Potter!' Minerva called.

Severus tensed so much that Remus patted his friend's hand.

.

(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	11. Chapter 11

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've finished writing this story (153 pages!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

.

Harry sat under the Hat.

"Um… There was a dual heritage in you," the Hat said, making reference to his biological parents' magic and to the curse that Voldemort had aimed at him – and that Kitty had fully countered with elf magic the night she'd helped Ducky heal Harry's magical scar. "And your heart is torn between Gryffindor and Slytherin."

"Could you, please, send me to Slytherin?" Harry begged.

"Why not Gryffindor? Your parents were Gryffindors."

"Yes, but Aunt Minerva, Uncle Remus and Sirius can teach me things about Gryffindor. Sev is the Head of Slytherin. I'd like to spend as much time with him as possible. We don't share blood, but he's my parent, too," Harry pleaded.

'Harry is pulling a Draco,' Remus whispered to himself after the first minute.

However, Harry's sorting didn't take as long as Draco's.

"I'm going to send you were you'll learn what you need to face the Darkness that is approaching and looking for you, Harry Potter," the Hat thought.

Harry beamed when the Hat shouted, 'Slytherin!'

Severus blushed and applauded with the other Slytherins, who welcomed the famous Harry Potter to their table.

'Congratulations, Sev,' Remus said. Severus glared at his friend, which prompted him to add, 'Erus.'

Ronald Weasley was rather nervous when he sat down on the stool.

"Ah! So you want to prove yourself, young man. You don't want to be like the rest of your family. The _entire_ family of Gryffindors," the Hat said.

Ron nodded.

"Are you sure?" the Hat inquired.

"Yes!"

"All right, then. The best house for you to stand by your friends will be a great adventure," the Hat promised. Then it yelled, 'Hufflepuff!'

Percy, Fred and George stood as if frozen by a spell. Ron was the first Weasley not to be sorted in Gryffindor.

Ron was happy to do things differently. He vowed to work hard for _his_ house.

Albus made a quick speech for once, and the feast began.

The new Muggle Studies teacher leant towards Severus and said, 'You must be happy to have the famous Harry Potter in your house.'

'Potter is like any other student, Professor Quirrell,' Severus answered neutrally.

Remus had an odd feeling about their new fellow. He decided to have a word with Severus on the topic later that night.

In the beginning of the feast, a few Gryffindors were wary of Draco because they knew that his father was most certainly a Dark wizard and a Slytherin through and through – in the worst possible way. Fred and George decided to show their friends how different Draco was from the average Slytherin, and long before pudding, the twins managed to have the other Gryffindors adopt the kid. The fact that Kelly was introduced, by the Weasley twins, as Harry Potter's sister played a part in her near instant integration by the other Gryffindors, even though she made it no secret that she was American.

Hermione and Ron were delighted with their respective houses. Hermione had been instantaneously adopted by an older Ravenclaw who wanted to become a librarian; the Hufflepuffs thought that Ron must feel a bit lonely, and they all welcomed him and tried to make him feel wanted and at "home".

Pansy and her friends kept taking care of Neville. A few Slytherins, who leant towards the Dark side, were a bit distrustful of the son of two famous Gryffindor Aurors, but most Slytherins thought that the Sorting Hat knew its job. Harry was so happy to be in Severus's house that he was beaming.

One of pansy's friends, Blaise Zabini, noticed Harry's happy grin and his looks towards the Head of Slytherin, and he asked, 'Why are you so happy to be a Slytherin, Potter?'

'Well, you see, my Protector became Severus's dad,' Harry began to say. He paused and added, 'Okay, I'm going to need your help, because if I keep calling our Head by his name, he's going to take points off.'

'Don't worry, Harry, we'll smack you if you're about to slip in front of him,' Pansy promised with a merry chuckle.

'Thank you, Pansy,' Harry said.

'If you grew up with our Head, you must have a bit of Slytherin in you in spite of your heritage,' Marcus Flint, the Quidditch captain said.

'I'm Slytherin enough not to answer to your taunt and Slytherin enough to remember each word,' Harry declared quietly.

Then and there, Harry's new fellows understood that he may have come from a family of Gryffindors, but he was a good addition to Slytherin.

The Feast was a great success. The students went to their dorms, and the Prefects led their younger charges to their respective houses.

Remus was waiting in Severus's quarters for his friend to finish his welcoming speech to his new students.

Severus was grinning like the Cheshire-Cat when he walked into his parlour.

'I take it it went well,' Remus commented with a warm chuckle.

'Quite. The dynamics of the house is going back to what it should be: strategy, not darkness,' Severus said. 'Did you call Kitty to tell my dad and Nana where Harry was sorted?' he inquired.

'I would never take that from you,' Remus protested.

'I've got him with me, in my house; I wouldn't have hexed you for telling Dad,' Severus pointed out amiably. 'Did you Fire-call Grissom?'

Remus laughed and said, 'Yes, and Hermione beat me to it thanks to her new Ravenclaw friends.'

'That witch will thrive in her house,' Severus declared.

'Shouldn't we warn Narcissa? And the Gibbses?' Remus suggested.

'Fire-call Narcissa to tell her that Draco is a Gryffindor; Abby might have something to tame Lucius. I'll tell Kitty to Apparate to Washington right after going back to the Burrow,' Severus said.

'Arthur and Molly are certainly going to be quite surprised to have their youngest son in Hufflepuff,' Remus said as he walked to the fireplace.

'I'm convinced it's the best thing that could happen to the boy,' Severus said.

They made their respective calls, and then settled on the sofa to share a drink.

'I find Quirrell a bit nosy,' Remus said.

'There's something about him that's bothering me,' Severus admitted.

'If only we could get away with giving him a few drops of Veritaserum to make him spill the beans!' Remus said as if jesting.

'Not funny, Remus!' Severus growled.

'Maybe he's just impressed to be a member of our staff. I bet I was awkward when I started working here,' Remus said.

Severus shrugged.

'So, who's sharing our little one's dorm?' Remus asked.

'Crabbe, Goyle, Longbottom and Zabini.'

Remus whistled and said, 'The castle has an interesting sense of humour.'

'It's a very good association, I think. Crabbe and Goyle are the sons of Death Eaters; it'd be good if their roommates could help them see a future different from the one their fathers wish for them,' Severus declared softly.

Remus looked at his friend and whispered, 'Too close to home, eh?'

Severus slightly nodded.

Remus held his glass up and said, 'Here! To a quiet year with a new generation of witches and wizards!'

Severus said, 'There's no such thing as a quiet year, and you should know it by now.'

'Then, to a new year with Lily's son in our classrooms,' Remus said.

Severus toasted to that.

The year was anything but quiet.

The last day of school, right before the end of the year feast, Severus was yelling at Albus in the Headmaster's office. Minerva, who was also present, was getting her share of being yelled at.

Mike was wisely on the other side of the room, petting Albus's phoenix.

'How dare you not tell us what you were planning to do to hide the Philosopher's stone?' Severus yelled at Albus. He looked at Minerva and added, 'And you helped Albus and didn't say a word to Dad! Abbs couldn't see your plans and warn us!'

'We wanted to protect you all without worrying you,' Minerva protested.

'The next time you hear that Riddle is back to England, but he's not in touch with Lucius – which would allow me to be informed of what's going on – tell us!' Severus growled.

'There, there, Severus. Harry should never have been in any kind of danger, and he managed to escape Professor Quirrell,' Albus said.

Mike winced as his companion dug himself in deeper.

Severus took a deep breath, not to calm himself down, but as to be able to reproach his boss and his fellow with everything he wanted to.

'Albus, it was not your fault if your hired Quirrell and didn't notice that he was helping Riddle. I can even understand your wish to keep your hiding of the stone secret,' Severus said. He paused and added, 'However, I do not appreciate that you gave Harry such a dangerous item as his father's Invisibility Cloak without telling me or Dad.'

'I didn't want to distress you,' Albus said.

Severus sighed this time. 'Albus, I healed. I can even talk about James with Harry. Lily and James are gone, but Harry is mine to love and protect. I know you thought you were doing the best for Harry, but using the cloak caused him pain, and then it literally endangered him – and his friends,' Severus declared.

'What do you mean?' Minerva inquired worriedly.

During the prior summer, an old friend of Albus, the famous alchemist Nicholas Flamel, had contacted him to warn him that a strange wizard had been inquiring about the astounding Philosopher's stone that the alchemist had made centuries ago. Flamel and Albus concluded that there was someone working for the Dark Lord.

When Lord Voldemort had tried to kill Harry, he'd been hit by Lily's Protection spell, and he'd lost his body – however, since he'd been taking drastic steps to reach immortality, _Lord Voldemort_ didn't die. It took him years to gather enough power to try anything to improve his state, but determination – and madness, possibly – gave him enough patience to wait for his magical power to make things change. He ended up meeting a young, ambitious wizard, who was such a coward that he didn't dare refuse to help the Dark Lord. That was how Quirrell managed to find a job at Hogwarts as he was harbouring the spirit of the Dark Lord and kept the physical manifestation of the Dark wizard hidden under a turban.

While Quirrell was finding a way to get inside Hogwarts as a staff member, Albus had agreed to hide the Philosopher's stone on the school grounds. He'd even asked a few of his teachers to help place traps and protections around the stone. Minerva was one of those who knew what was going on.

It had been rather difficult to hide what was inside the castle from Severus, but Albus had taken advantage of the fact that Severus was emotionally linked to Harry to distract him from the hiding place.

Once inside the castle, Quirrell had been urged by the Dark Lord to locate and steal the stone. The Dark wizard knew a potion that would allow him to recover his body if the alchemic stone was added to it.

During the Hallowe'en feast, Quirrell had let a young troll inside the castle. His plan was to have the troll create a diversion which would allow Quirrell to enter the place where the stone was, but his plan backfired. The troll went too close to the place where the stone was, and the teachers – and a few students as well – interfered. Severus began to suspect that there was something strange going on at Hogwarts. It became obvious to the entire school that Harry and his friends didn't really care for house etiquette. Harry's dorm-mates and Pansy were often seen working in the library with Hermione, Ron, Draco and Kelly. Those kids understood that there was something odd going on, and they'd all ended up hunting for the stone and finding ways to go through the various traps set there. In the end, Harry had been the only one to go through the last trap, and he'd bravely faced Quirrell – and Riddle.

'After Christmas, after you gave him James's cloak in secret, Harry used the Floo network between the Burrow and my quarters to come and see me as I spent time with the few Slytherins who stayed over the break. A few times I was too busy to take care of him properly, and he went to explore the castle under that cloak. I don't know what possessed you to use the Mirror of Erised to hide the stone, but he found it before you stored it behind all the other traps. My poor boy ended up with headaches because of it, and he was completely torn when I found him in front of it,' Severus growled.

'What happened? What did he see in the mirror?' Minerva asked.

The magic of the Mirror of Erised was to make whoever looked in it see one's deepest desire. The magical device had been known to be addictive.

'He was crying when he told me!' Severus spat. 'He saw himself with Lily and James, and then he saw me with Lily, and he wasn't an only child! He was torn between two lives!'

'Did you look in the mirror?' Albus wondered.

Severus shuddered slightly and whispered, 'I couldn't face my deepest desire.'

Fawkes, Albus's phoenix, felt Severus's deep sadness, and he sang a few notes that calmed the Potions master down a bit.

Severus went on more calmly. 'Harry was distressed. On top of that, he told Granger, Parkinson and Zabini what he'd seen, and the children concluded that something was going on. They gathered clue after clue and ended up following the trail to the stone. Last night, Harry made several trips and, hiding under that darn cloak of his, they all worked together to go after the stone. The kids are bruised, and Harry had had to kill Quirrell!'

'It was Lily's protection in Harry's blood that made Quirrell crumble to dust,' Albus protested.

'And pray, Headmaster, what do I tell my son? "Don't worry, Harry, it wasn't your fault if the nasty wizard turned to dust, it's just the magic that your mama left in you when she was murdered to protect you." How could I tell him something so stupid?! All he sees is that he touched a wizard – granted, a Dark wizard – and that man _died_!' Severus pointed out.

Mike was happy that neither Albus nor Minerva was suicidal enough to correct Severus for calling Harry his "son".

'I'll go and have a talk with Harry,' Albus said as he got up to go to the hospital wing.

'If Dad lets you in,' Severus pointed out with a smirk. He turned to Minerva and added, 'And I think my sister is going to wish to have a word with you, Mother.'

Minerva squeaked. Severus had never called her that – she had to be in deep trouble.

'I think it's a blessing that Kitty never severed her link with Harry. Merlin knows how long it would have taken me to notice something was wrong! I think she'll come to see you soon to tell you that she wishes to belong to Harry,' Severus said.

'I'll happily grant her that,' Albus said softly.

Severus stormed out of the office. Harry needed him – and he needed to see his kid and make sure that he was as fine as Pomfrey, the resident Mediwitch, had already promised he was.

'He didn't hex,' Albus told Minerva.

She sighed with relief.

Mike broke the mood by saying, 'Wait until Mrs Mallard and the Gibbses hear about it!'

Albus and Minerva reflected that Mike had a point.

The children were unhurt, therefore the adults tried not to react too strongly. However, they encouraged them to focus on their studies, not dangerous extra-curricular activities.

Shannon and Jethro allowed Kelly to keep flying under Abby's supervision during the summer.

Since Kelly magically shared blood with Harry (and since James had been an exceptional Quidditch player and she'd inherited a part of that ability through Harry's blood), she'd been spotted during their very first flying lesson. Minerva had made Kelly her Quidditch team Seeker. Slytherin spies had informed Severus that Kelly was quite good, which prompted him to have Harry try out for the Seeker position for the Slytherin Quidditch team.

Slytherin's game under the lead of Marcus Flint was rather harsh and borderline not-by-the-rule. Harry made it clear that he could win the game, even against his sister if need be, but he wouldn't do so for a team that wouldn't play fair. Harry was so gifted on the state-of-the-art broom that Severus had bought him that Flint had no choice but to change the team's strategy.

Gibbs wasn't too happy that his eldest child was flying and playing in a potentially dangerous game, but he'd rather have her do so somewhere where teachers could help her if she got injured.

The rest of the summer was quite interesting.

Kelly and Harry got to spend time with Anna and baby Philip.

The Weasleys discovered how transformed Ron was since he'd become a Hufflepuff. They all wondered where Ginny would be sorted. Since Draco's feelings had allowed him to follow Kelly into Gryffindor, maybe Ginny would end up in Slytherin because it was obvious that she had very strong feelings for Harry. The twins made a bet.

When Abby was shown the cloak Harry had inherited from his father, she almost fainted. Her friends assumed that it was because the newly-wed Abby McGee was pregnant, but in fact the young seer had merely acknowledged the true nature of the cloak.

Harry's Invisibility Cloak was one of the Deathly Hallows, legendary items that could certainly help defeat Riddle.

Mike encouraged his lover to share everything he knew on the topic, and the members of the Order of the Phoenix knew they'd have to find the other items eventually.

'What else will we have to look for to defeat that man and his minions?' inquired DiNozzo, always practical under his goofy attitude.

'Horcruxes,' Abby announced.

'Gesundheit!' said DiNozzo.

Abby explained that in order to become immortal, Lord Voldemort had ripped away pieces of his very soul and had placed the pieces into items. As long as there was even just one item that wasn't destroyed, the Dark wizard would not – could not – be defeated.

'Deathly Hallows and Horcruxes, and then what?' McGee asked his wife.

'I don't know,' Abby admitted. She was embarrassed and turned to her brother.

'Are you sure Riddle can be defeated? What if we can't fight him?' DiNozzo asked anxiously.

'There's a way. There has to be a way,' Abby declared with passion.

'How do you know?' McGee inquired.

'It's something I was taught while watching _Star Trek_. They saved Spock,' she said seriously.

That was such an Abby-esque answer that her friends began to hope that they'd come up with some farfetched solution to end the war.

Two of the big events of the summer were Harry's birthday, and the fact that the NIS was becoming the _NCIS_.

Arthur thought there was something related to the change of name when he received a cryptic message from Muggle Departments.

He Apparated back to the Burrow one night and was delighted to find all their friends there.

'Gibbs? Do you know what the MI-4 and MI-5 are?' Arthur asked.

'They're like special Muggle Aurors. They protect your country,' Gibbs explained. 'Why do you ask?'

'I've met agents from those two departments. One was a Squib; he must know that I know you. He told me that Ari Aswari is in London,' Arthur said.

All the NCIS agents paled and growled.

'Who's that?' inquired Ollivander.

'It's very complicated,' Ducky told his father.

.

(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	12. Chapter 12

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've finished writing this story (153 pages!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

.

Over the year, Abby had done a tremendous job to reconcile Oliver Ollivander and Victoria Mallard. The wand-maker had done some serious grovelling, and his old girlfriend was nice to him. Ducky didn't know what to do with a father, but things were rather smooth between father and son since Severus had suggested that they first try to become _friends_ before trying to act like father and son because Ducky was an adult who didn't _need_ a father.

'Not that much,' DiNozzo growled.

'We were told that he's a Palestinian double-agent working with terrorists,' Kate said.

'But he's more probably fooling our government,' Gibbs stated in a low growl.

'Abigail,' Severus asked seriously, 'what did that man do to you?'

'Not to me,' Abby answered, her tongue faster than her brain.

'To whom?' Severus demanded.

All the NCIS agents wished they could Disapparate without needing Kitty's help.

Kate decided to put herself in the line of fire. Aswari had got into the NIS building and into the morgue where he threatened Kate and Ducky to get information. In the end, NIS was ordered to let Aswari go because he was labelled a "double-spy".

'To me, Severus,' Kate said.

She'd forgotten that Severus was a Legilimens, and he got the whole truth out of her mind without her even noticing. Severus didn't even glare at his father, but right then and there, Severus decided to start spying again – for the own good of the people he loved.

'So, what happened?' Severus asked in order to get information and search the minds of all of his friends to try and understand who Ari Aswari was.

Kate and DiNozzo tried to leave Ducky out of their account as much as possible.

The fact that Aswari was in the UK was slightly disturbing; there should be no reason for him to be here – except if he'd been monitoring Gibbs's team and had decided to play with their heads.

The American federal agents were extremely careful, but without a bit of magical help, the end of the summer could have turned into a tragedy – quite literally.

It happened when they all went to shop for the kids in London. They were about to enter the Leaky Cauldron when there was a single shot. A sniper, Aswari in fact, had tried to kill Kate with a shot to the head. What Aswari hadn't counted on was the fact that Kelly Gibbs had had a vision of his attempted murder the year before, and steps had been taken to save Kate.

All of Kelly's friends at Hogwarts had been in on this. Potions had been brewed, spells chanted, and a medallion had been charmed with a Voodoo prayer to protect its wearer. The last step had been made by Sirius, who had given Kate the medallion and put a spell on her so that she'd never, ever, take it off, since Kelly didn't know which day Aswari would try to kill Kate.

First, the protections stopped the bullet, and a single spell, whispered by Sirius, made the bullet go back whence it came. It went through Aswari's heart and killed him on the spot.

'Good riddance!' Kelly said with a shudder.

Sirius kissed the stunned Kate right before the hidden door to the pub, and then he hugged Kelly fiercely.

Moody and his trainee, Tonks, arrived a minute later. They told their friends to go and wait for them inside the pub while they did a bit of clean-up. The two Aurors got the full story from the federal agents, the kids, and Sirius.

'Powerful combination of magic you had there,' Moody declared, quite impressed.

'It was teamwork,' Ron said.

'Kel', Draco and Hermione did most of it,' Harry intervened.

'Who brewed the potions?' Severus inquired.

Hermione, as if she were in class, put her hand up.

'I'll have a word with you come September, Miss Granger,' Severus said. He paused theatrically and added, 'About additional lessons.'

Hermione squealed.

'She already worships you, you know. No need to spoil her,' Ron dared to say.

'I want her to make the most of her gift under supervision. Kelly's gift certainly accounts for the fact that you succeeded, but any mistake with those potions and spells could have had dire consequences,' Severus explained.

'I know,' Ron said softly.

'When she's with Severus, you can come and have tea with me,' Remus offered.

'Except if 'Mione is sending me to Mrs Pince with lists of books to check out,' Ron said with a fake sigh.

Hermione swallowed the bait and looked furious, but then Ron winked at her and that made her blush.

Moody and Tonks told them to go shopping for the school supplies they needed, and they'd meet them afterwards with news about Aswari. Moody was planning to have someone in his Department lie to their Muggle equivalent and have Aswari's death pass for something unrelated to the NCIS team. However, that wouldn't go as planned.

They were all waiting for Ginny to buy her first wand when Severus noticed that Sirius looked as if he were about to faint.

'Pepper-up, Grissom?' Severus offered civilly.

'You look dreadful,' Remus chimed in.

'Thanks, mate,' Sirius growled at Remus. He turned to Severus and said, 'If you've got some, I wouldn't say no.'

Severus handed him a phial of potion that Sirius downed almost entirely.

'Thanks, Severus,' Sirius said.

The two men were much more civil to each other, but Sirius still seldom called Severus by name; that alone showed how shaken Sirius was.

Seemingly out of the blue, Abby told Sirius, 'Do it now.'

Sirius looked at her, blinked, paled, blushed, and then grinned. 'You sure?' he asked.

Abby glared at him.

Sirius knelt down in the middle of the alley and asked Kate, 'Caitlin Todd, will you marry me?'

Kate blinked in her turn, and all her friends waited for her to answer.

'Yes,' she finally said.

Sirius's eyes turned suspiciously misty.

Their friends congratulated them.

'That's great! The Grissoms are Roman Catholic, just like Kate. We can plan a big wedding for next summer!' Abby said, bouncing.

'We can do that,' Kate said as she looked deep into Sirius's eyes and saw the raw fear of losing her still haunting him. 'But is there something magical we could do sooner?'

'You can go to the Ministry and have a Bonding registered. You can even renew your vows each year or decade,' Severus told her.

'Would you like to do that?' Kate asked Sirius.

'You don't have to,' Sirius protested feebly.

'Sirius, you're going to _marry_ a federal Muggle agent in church next year, but that doesn't mean I can't _bond_ with a wizard today. We'll have to mix our worlds if we want this to work,' Kate said.

'Wisely said,' Ducky pointed out.

They agreed to go to the Ministry after their shopping session.

Severus managed to have a quiet word with Kate and Sirius between two shops.

'I'm not sure I can go with you,' Severus admitted.

Kate pecked his cheek and said, 'I understand. And we'll understand it if you can't come to the church ceremony. However, we'll expect you to join the banquet, then. Deal?'

Severus nodded and walked away.

'I don't want to even imagine what he's still going through,' Sirius said with a shudder.

Almost losing the woman he'd come to love so dearly had really changed something in Sirius.

'If I ever hear you say anything to mock his love, I'll kick you in the groin, and you'll end up in the dog-house for a year,' Kate warned her lover.

'I'm not completely stupid, Love,' Sirius protested.

'You're really starting to use your brain,' Kate joked.

Sirius winked at her. In a few hours, they'd be bonded officially and magically; and in a year, there would be a huge wedding with all their friends and family – maybe Sirius could even set up Remus with Nymphadora, who knows? Sirius stole a look at Severus, and for the first time in his life, he wished that his former foe could find some peace of mind and stop mourning Lily.

Severus could find some peace of mind, but losing Lily was something from which he'd never recover.

Severus was alone when he Apparated back to the Burrow. A few minutes later, Moody, Tonks and a young woman Apparated there, too.

'Sorry it took us so long, Mallard,' Moody apologized roughly.

'The whole story is a tad more complicated,' Tonks added.

'Tea?' Severus offered.

'Something stronger if you have it. Miss David needs it, I'm afraid,' Moody said.

The two Aurors introduced the young woman, Ziva David, a Moussad agent, and the half-sister of the Dark mage Aswari.

'I don't drink,' Ziva said barely above a whisper.

'Tea and a Soothing potion, then,' Severus said.

He took one step to go put the kettle on when Ziva stopped him as she said, 'Father forbids me to take potions.'

Severus instantly invaded Ziva's mind. He discovered that Dr David had married a witch, Ziva's mother, and had forbidden her – and later their magical daughters – to do any kind of magic. Simultaneously, Dr David had had an affair with a Palestinian doctor, who gave him a son, Ari. Ari had showed signs of magic, and his mother's family had had him trained to become a mage, and the boy, half-rejected by his father, had turned Dark.

'I will call my father, then. He's a Muggle physician,' Severus said.

Severus knew that by calling Kitty to ask Ducky to come back, he could get Nana and the NCIS agents involved. He felt that Ziva needed a lot of help.

When Severus's summoning thought reached Kitty, the Bonding at the Ministry had just taken place. Kitty told the entire party that they had important visitors at the Burrow.

Within a minute, they were all back at the Hogsmeade cottage. Severus, who didn't want his grandmother to spank him for being impolite, took a moment to congratulate Kate and Sirius; he even chuckled heartily when he was told that Sirius was the one who had changed his surname – again.

Severus took a sobering breath and said, 'You keep improving, I see. Congratulations, Mr Todd.'

Sirius blushed, and Kate thanked Severus.

Next, in spite of Ziva's protests, Severus shared with his friends what he'd discovered about Aswari. They could all see that Mrs Mallard was ready to explode – as time passed, she had become less and less patient with people who were unfair to Squibs (because it still hurt her to have never showed signs of magic) and even less patient with people who rejected magic. Mrs Mallard felt that it was like not allowing a kid to read books or learn to play music.

'Harry, Dear, would you mind if I were to borrow our sweet Kitty?' Mrs Mallard asked her grandson.

'Nana, Kitty is free to help you,' Harry said.

Mrs Mallard beamed and turned to Kitty. 'I'd like you to go to Ziva's home and ask her mother to Apparate here. You can help her, if she's forgotten how,' Mrs Mallard said.

'I'll bring her back, Victoria,' kitty said as she started dissolving into thin air.

Abby squeaked.

'What?!' Gibbs growled.

'She's noticed only now that Harry has freed Kitty,' Ducky said as he kept checking Ziva's pulse.

'Is that a bad thing?' McGee asked his wife in a whisper.

'Kitty's a loving house-elf, and Harry's been taught by Ducky, Abbs and Severus,' DiNozzo declared.

'It's okay, but an elf who isn't on our side would be a huge problem,' Abby explained.

'I trust Kitty,' Gibbs declared.

Moody had the feeling that Harry's trust in Kitty would be something very important in the future.

It turned out that Kitty had to witch-nap Mrs David because she didn't want to disobey her husband. Mrs Mallard read her guest the riot act quite thoroughly, but the alien witch kept saying that it was her duty to obey her husband.

Mrs David Disapparated back to her home without one word for her eldest daughter.

Ziva's sigh was the saddest thing they'd all heard in a long time. 'Father is going to blame me for Ari's death,' she murmured.

'Does your commanding officer know about magic?' Moody asked Ziva.

She nodded and said, 'Most people know about magic where I come from. They just don't mention it – ever,' she said.

Mrs Mallard _and_ Moody growled.

'I'll have a word with him. _He'll_ be the one telling your father, Agent David,' Moody promised the shaken young agent.

'She,' Ziva corrected him.

'Is she a witch?' Tonks inquired.

Ziva nodded.

'Do you mind if I do this, Alastor?' Tonks asked.

'It would be good training for you,' Moody declared, his magical eye rolling.

Abby whispered something urgently into Gibbs's ear.

'Miss Tonks, can you help me?' Gibbs asked.

Tonks grinned and nodded.

'I'd like you to tell Agent David's C.O. that she'd better find a way to have Ziva sent to NCIS as a liaison officer for as long as I see fit,' Gibbs declared.

Tonks Disapparated in the wink of an eye.

'Do you really need me?' Ziva asked.

Gibbs walked to her and put his hands on her shoulders. 'You are a very gifted agent, and you're going to help us a lot in the next few months. Besides, Abby told me that she'd be your tutor in magic; we'll make you a witch, Ziva David,' Gibbs said.

'What else did Abbs tell you, Dad?' Kelly asked.

'Don't tell me you didn't see it,' Gibbs growled at his daughter.

Kelly giggled.

'Oi! Share with the non-seer ones here, please!' Ron protested.

'Well, Ziva will make a splendid witch,' Kelly declared.

'A new aunt, great!' Harry said enthusiastically, which made Severus chuckle warmly.

'And she'll make a great field agent while Kate stays at Headquarters,' Abby said.

'Why the hell would I stay there?!' Kate growled.

'Do you really want to know?' Kelly asked.

'Yes!' Kate barked.

'Because you're pregnant,' Abby declared.

Sirius sat on the floor, while his newly-bonded squeaked.

'Oh, and we're going to save a bit of time here,' Abby said, her eyes turning entirely black, and her voice taking that intonation she had only when in full seer-mode. 'Ziva's going to move to Tony's spare-bedroom – in the first months, at least.'

DiNozzo blushed when he traded looks with Ziva. He'd found her very interesting from the instant he saw her.

The next few months would be entertaining at NCIS; maybe not as much as at Hogwarts, though.

While Ziva was being trained by Abby, the Hogwarts staff – and pupils – had to face a new threat in the form of a possessed professor.

Once again, the Muggle Studies teacher had ended up under the spell of Riddle – though it was a younger form this time. It was through a Horcrux that the poor teacher had been controlled.

Apparently, Lucius Malfoy had got them into that mess. A few months before he attacked the Potters, Riddle had entrusted Lucius with a seemingly empty diary. Lucius never imagined that he'd been made keeper for one of Riddle's Horcruxes. The dreadful item contained a part of Riddle's soul, harvested when he was still a Hogwarts student.

The Dark magic in the diary activated when someone wrote in it. The ink of whatever was written was absorbed into the diary, and the soul wrote back.

Lucius had only felt the Dark spell in the diary. Without Narcissa noticing what he was planning – since it was not _directly_ related to the present Riddle and therefore didn't activate the monitoring that Abby and Severus had helped put into place – Lucius managed to have the diary given to the new Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts, and Gilderoy Lockhart ended up under the spell of Riddle's soul.

Dobby, the house-elf who'd delivered the diary to Lockhart, later tried to warn Harry that something odd might take place at the school. Dobby's warnings were so awkward that Kitty intervened and protected her chosen master. Kitty managed to get it out of Dobby that there was a dangerous item inside Hogwarts, but since he still belonged to Lucius, he could not betray his master and say what was going on exactly.

Under the power of Riddle, Lockhart freed a basilisk that had been kept in a secret chamber made by one of the Hogwarts' Four Founders, Salazar Slytherin, himself.

The near-mythical snake wandered through the school and petrified several students. Things were bad, but if anyone had looked at the basilisk's eyes directly, death would have been instantaneous. A potion could save those who'd only glimpsed at a reflection of the snake's eyes because they'd been only petrified by the basilisk's magic.

Hermione understood what was going on, but she came across the basilisk on her way to Severus's quarters. She ended up petrified after catching a reflection of the snake's eyes in a mirror she'd used to check her path.

Ron, Draco, Kelly, Harry and his Slytherin friends, as well as Ginny, who'd asked the Sorting Hat to send her to Harry's house, tried to solve the mystery of the petrified students. It was only when Harry told his friends that he could hear whispers that Kelly came to the conclusion that the voice that Harry was the only one to hear had to be Parseltongue.

When Kitty had used her unusual magic to heal Harry when he was a baby, she'd cleansed him of all Dark magic, but she left him with the ability to understand and speak the language of snakes. She knew that such an ability would be precious in the War.

Unfortunately, by the time the children understood that they were dealing with a basilisk that had been kept in the famed Chamber of Secrets, Lockhart had shared with Young Riddle why _Lord Voldemort_ wasn't the master of the magical community and what had happened the night he'd killed James and Lily.

The manifestation of Riddle developed an interest in Harry. When it became clear to Riddle that he could not get Lockhart to kill Harry, he decided to make Lockhart kidnap Ginny in order to lure Harry into the Chamber.

Riddle had never imagined that Harry would show with Kelly, Ron and Blaise.

Still under Riddle's spell, Lockhart opened the door to the Chamber and tossed Harry inside before locking the safe-like door again.

Ron bound and gagged Lockhart, but it was useless because the teacher had been freed of Riddle's influence, and he was severely disoriented. Blaise told his friends that he'd go warn Severus. The children knew that the Head of Slytherin would be quite angry because they'd put themselves in a dangerous situation again after promising that they'd never repeat the feat of their first year, but maybe Severus would know a way to get into the locked Chamber.

Blaise ran to his head of house, Ron kept an eye on Professor Lockhart, and Kelly tried to repeat the sounds that the possessed teacher had uttered to open the massive door.

In the meantime, Harry ran to rescue Ginny, whose life force was being drained by Riddle in an attempt to give flesh to his spirit.

Kitty had sensed that Harry was in danger, and she'd told Fawkes, Dumbledore's faithful phoenix, to go help Harry. Just before the magical bird flew through the castle to help, the Sorting Hat ordered Fawkes to take him, too.

By the time Fawkes reached Harry's side, Riddle had already summoned the basilisk. Even though Harry could talk to the snake, it only obeyed the wizard who had awakened him. Fawkes dropped the Hat near Harry, and then the phoenix attacked the basilisk and blinded him; it was all Fawkes could do to help Harry.

The spirit of Riddle taunted Harry, saying that he couldn't fight him with an antique hat. Apparently, Harry was more Slytherin than Riddle because the boy understood that the Sorting Hat had to be there for a good reason. When Harry took the hat, he asked for help – and the spirits of the Four Founders, stored in the hat, heard him loud and clear. Much to Harry's and Riddle's surprise, Harry retrieved from the hat a sword that had belonged to Godric Gryffindor. Harry was torn; he wanted to help Ginny, but he had to escape the basilisk, too. Riddle decided for Harry when he ordered the basilisk to kill Harry. The young wizard fought bravely; he killed the blinded basilisk, but one of the snake's lethal fangs broke as it pierced Harry's arm.

Harry used the poisonous fang to destroy the Horcrux and free Ginny from the spell that was killing her. As soon as she woke up, Harry told her that he was dying, and he was about to ask her to tell his friends and family a few things when she got out, but she spotted Fawkes hopping nearby, and she asked the bird to give a few of his precious and curative tears to Harry.

When Harry and Ginny got out of the Chamber of Secrets, Severus was just rushing there, pale as death. First, he hugged Harry as if they were alone, then he got the story out of the five students and the repentant teacher – for his defence, Lockhart said that he'd started writing in the evil diary because he was feeling lonely.

Severus Memory-charmed his fellow and tailored his memories to protect Harry. Then, he told Blaise to escort Ginny back to her dorm where he'd have one house-elf bring her a potion to help her recover; he also told Ron and Kelly to go back to their respective houses – and avoid being caught! Lockhart was encouraged to go back to his quarters and quit – teaching wasn't for him.

The children didn't lose house-points, because Ginny pointed out that the entire basilisk would make a nice addition to Severus's potions ingredients collection, and the prospect of brewing potions that hadn't been made in centuries, because of the shortage of basilisk parts, somehow mellowed Severus.

The sun was rising when Severus stormed into Dumbledore's office, an action which seemed to be turning into an end-of-the-year ritual. He had Harry and Fawkes in tow.

'Harry destroyed the Horcrux that was controlling Lockhart. Ginny's safe, and everything ended well, but the idiot you hired could well have got Harry killed!' Severus barked.

'What happened exactly?' Dumbledore inquired.

While Severus and Harry told their stories, Mike went to his side of the office – the corner where he read and petted Fawkes. Mike shared a piece of toast with Fawkes.

Dumbledore's choice of Muggle Studies teachers had been rather poor recently, and Severus was beginning to be seriously angry.

The heated talk between Severus and Dumbledore went on.

An owl arrived to deliver Mike his Muggle post. He had a friend of Agent Fornell forwarding him the important Muggle letters that were delivered to his Washington address.

Mike's shout stopped the on-going argument instantly.

'What's wrong?' Harry asked worriedly.

Mike seemed mesmerized by the letter he'd been reading.

Severus and Dumbledore rushed to Mike's side.

'Mike?' Dumbledore said.

Mike looked at his companion and said as if it were Christmas Day and his birthday all together, 'I have a son!'

.

(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	13. Chapter 13

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've finished writing this story (153 pages!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

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Mike shared his good news with his friends. His son's mother didn't want to be linked to an NIS agent; it was only after his mother's death that the young man had tried to discover who his father was.

Mike's old flame might have been afraid to have a Federal agent in her life, but there had to be something in Mike's blood, because his kid became a Marine. Now he was writing to his father, asking to meet him and have Mike become a part of his life – if he wanted.

Mike was grinning like the Cheshire-Cat.

Kitty, who was tired of waiting for Harry to come back to his dorm, appeared in the office.

'Master Har…' her voice trailed off, and she shuddered.

'What's wrong, Kitty?' Harry asked worriedly.

She pointed at the letter Mike was still holding and said, 'The boy is in danger.'

Mike sat in his chair heavily, paled and whimpered.

Severus turned to Kitty and asked, 'Can you take me where he is?'

Kitty seemed to slide to Severus, took his hand and disappeared.

Mike looked at his companion and asked, 'Do you think he can help my kid?'

'Oi! It's _Sev_!' Harry growled.

Mike chuckled warmly at that and ruffled Harry's hair playfully.

'Mr Potter, that'll be one point from Slytherin,' Dumbledore said.

'Drat! There's no need to be on his side… Headmaster,' Harry said. He pouted to try and get his point back, but Dumbledore merely winked at him.

Mike looked at Dumbledore and said, 'I hope the kid reacts well to magic.'

'Maybe he's a wizard,' Harry intervened.

'You do have a point, kid. If Fornell can be an Auror, too, who knows?' Mike said.

Dumbledore laughed softly and told Mike, 'Do you realize that you're more worried about magic than about _us_?'

Mike blinked a few times, and then laughed heartily. Living with another man had become so normal, that he'd worried about magic first.

'Magic is weirder than you two,' Harry declared.

Mike and Dumbledore traded looks and hoped that Harry's tolerance would be shared by Mike's son.

Their speculations were stopped when Lucius Malfoy invaded Dumbledore's office. Since he'd given the diary to Lockhart, Lucius had monitored his little experiment. Since Lucius was a member of the school board, Dumbledore couldn't prevent him from asking questions about the security on the school grounds since students had started being attacked by something or someone that was unknown at the time.

This particular morning, Lucius wanted to force Dumbledore to resign, and then he wanted to convince the Minister for Magic to close Hogwarts.

Dumbledore was absolutely delighted to tell Lucius that everything was back to normal. Lucius was furious, and he wanted to punish Dobby, who was accompanying him. When Lucius stormed out, Dobby followed him obediently.

'Headmaster, is the Horcrux completely inactive?' Harry asked.

'Yes. Why, Harry?' the old wizard wondered.

'I have an idea to rescue Dobby and annoy Draco's dad. May I?' Harry asked.

'By all means, but be careful, and come back here as soon as possible. I do not fancy telling Severus that I've let you go after an adult wizard,' Dumbledore said.

Harry nodded and picked up the diary. He ran after Lucius and hid his tie in the now-battered book. Harry handed Lucius the diary, and the angry wizard tossed it to Dobby, who noticed the tie almost immediately. Lucius tried to hex Harry for tricking him and making him lose a house-elf, but Dobby hexed his former master first, and then he followed Harry back to Dumbledore's office.

Harry was telling what he'd done, counting on Lucius's rage to make him do something stupid, when Kitty came back with Severus, Corporal Liam O'Neill and… a woman with a headscarf and dressed in black from head to toe – a woman with a baby in her arms.

'Corporal and Mrs O'Neill, meet your new parents, Mike Franks and Albus Dumbledore,' Severus declared.

Dumbledore acknowledged the magic in Liam's wife and her son.

Mike found himself caught in a crushing hug. Liam was stationed in the Middle-East, and he was trying to find a way to smuggle his wife and son back to the US when they'd been trapped by nasty smugglers. Kitty and Severus had arrived just in time to protect Liam and his family – his wife was not yet used to using magic freely. Leila O'Neill had been properly trained – _and_ conditioned to obey a man of her family. Liam hadn't thought to ask his wife to help him; he was still learning about magic.

Kitty and Severus had shared a few tips with the happy couple. Since Mike was now in the UK, Severus offered to lend his house in Spinner's End to the O'Neills and to help them find a Muggle job for Liam.

Harry was entrusted to Kitty's care and sent to bed while the new family and Severus shared breakfast in Dumbledore's quarters.

Mike was almost overwhelmed when Leila handed him his grandson.

Liam turned to Severus and said, 'I'm indebted to you, Sir.'

In full Slytherin mode, Severus grinned and said, 'There's one thing that would suit everyone that you could do to repay me.'

'What?' Mike wondered.

Severus looked at his boss and one of Severus's eyebrows rose as he waited for Dumbledore to catch up.

The Headmaster put two and two together and turned to Liam. 'Would you like to come and work here?' he asked.

'Only Leila's a witch,' Liam said, puzzled.

'We find ourselves in need of a Muggle Studies teacher for next year,' Dumbledore explained.

'I could help!' the shy Leila said softly.

'Excellent!' Dumbledore said.

'I can baby-sit your little angel if you trust me to take care of him,' Mike declared.

Leila, encouraged by Kitty's previous pep-talk, cast a spell on both Mike and Dumbledore. Then she said, 'I trust you, Fathers.'

Mike looked at his son and said, 'I'm sorry I didn't stay in touch with your mother.'

'She didn't want you around,' Liam said. He paused and said, 'Dad.'

'We'll have to catch up and get you settled here,' Dumbledore said.

'As I said, you're welcome to stay at my place,' Severus told the O'Neills.

'Or you could move into my family home. It will be yours one day, and Mike and I are living here,' Dumbledore said.

'You don't have to do all this,' Liam protested.

'Wait until you meet the rest of the family,' Severus said with a warm chuckle.

In fact, the addition of the O'Neills to their unofficial pack saved Dumbledore's hide. Nana Mallard – and _Dada_ Ollivander with her – was absolutely furious, and Dumbledore only escaped her wrath because he was still running rather fast, and he knew an impressive collection of Protection spells.

Liam, Leila and their little Malak were almost overwhelmed. Within a day, they'd escaped a dangerous place – Leila's marriage wasn't approved by most of her relatives and her neighbours, which was the main reason for Liam wanting to move her and their son to settle in a more favourable place, and then they'd been welcomed by Liam's last blood relative _and_ his extended family.

Mike, with Gibbs's help, managed to pull quite a lot of strings, and Dumbledore asked Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt to help convince Liam's C.O. to have him transferred to some secret job immediately. Liam's position was changed with Muggle ruse and magical skills – few people would ever know that Corporal O'Neill was dispatched to the British Ministry of Magic and employed by Hogwarts.

One day after Severus and Kitty had rescued the O'Neills, there was a party in Hogwarts to introduce the O'Neills to their entire pack and plan the summer together – even Narcissa Floo'ed in to say hello. Molly and Narcissa were in full mother-hen mode near Malak; Leila giggled when the two other witches called him an angel, because that was the meaning of his name.

It was Remus who made them realize that Sophie Malfoy, Malak O'Neill and Mark Todd would go to school together.

Everybody found it amusing that Sirius and Kate had the traditional roles reversed and made it work.

Kate was not yet back in the field – though Gibbs knew that he wouldn't be able to have her confined to desk-work for very much longer, and he dreaded a bit the day he'd have Kate and Ziva team up.

Mark was staying with Sirius in the family's Grimmauld Place mansion. Fatherhood had transformed Sirius even more than Gil Grissom and Kate had.

The baby's birth had even reconciled the mansion's irascible house-elf with Sirius – and Kreacher had accepted that Kate was his new mistress. When Kate's water broke earlier than planned, she'd been alone with Kreacher, and the house-elf didn't want to go to Sirius. Kate was very scared, because she didn't know what would happen if no one came to help her.

Thanks to Kitty, Kate knew that the power of house-elves was quite extraordinary, and she begged Kreacher to save the baby and take care of him if anything were to happen to her – she also told him to take care of Sirius. The elf was so surprised that Kate was ready to trust him with the well-being of the baby who, whether he liked it or not, would be the heir of the family he'd sworn to protect, that Kreacher mellowed.

In a wink of an eye, he'd Apparated to Sirius, taken him to St Mungo's, wizard-napped a Healer, and brought them to Kate's side. When Kate and Sirius made Kreacher Mark's Protector, the house-elf had taken his charge more than seriously, and within a day, Kreacher had made the mansion safe for the baby, and he'd rid the whole place of any trace of Dark magic. Now, Kreacher was the one who helped Kate travel from the mansion to NCIS and back each day.

During the party, Abby came to Dumbledore's rescue when Nana Mallard started reproaching him his poor choice in Muggle Studies teachers until he nominated Liam and Leila. Abby suggested that they all used the summer to hunt for the remaining Horcruxes.

Leila offered to help locate them. Kitty and Kreacher helped, too.

Since the next year _should_ be quieter without having to deal with a possessed Muggle Studies teacher, the end of the school year was rather nice.

The pack grew even closer, thanks to their new addition. Without adding to the magic that was already in his system thanks to Abby and Severus, Narcissa used Lucius's love for their three children to start convincing him that being a Death Eater was not such a good idea. Lucius wasn't included in the Order's activities, but its members visited the Malfoys and invited them to their homes for tea or lunch in order to break the isolation that had been a Malfoy way of life for too many generations. Draco, Patrick and Sophie particularly enjoyed that summer.

The old and new members of the Order of the Phoenix started to work to end the War – or at least find a way to not have to fight against a Dark wizard who could _not_ be killed.

The diary was the first Horcrux they'd located and destroyed. Kitty told them that she'd annihilated a part of Voldemort's soul that had transferred into Harry when he tried to kill the baby. Next, Dumbledore said he'd heard about a locket that was kept in a cave, and then Kreacher explained that Regulus Black, Sirius's brother, had stolen it before Riddle had had him killed, and the house-elf had annihilated the soul inside it, because it could be dangerous for Mark.

Then, the real hunt began.

First, Abby and Severus managed to find a way to draw up a list of the remaining Horcruxes – it involved a good part of Dark magic and Voodoo, but they were ready to do anything to make sure that Riddle wouldn't have too many aces up his sleeve the next time they had to fight him.

Leila cast a spell that helped them find Riddle's pet, a snake called Nagini, which was harbouring a part of her master's soul. Severus wasn't too happy, but they had to go hunting with Harry to lure Nagini out of her hiding place. Once she was trapped thanks to a spell, Kitty escorted Harry back to the Burrow while Severus annihilated the snake.

The next item they located was found by chance. Sirius was visiting Remus at Hogwarts; Remus wanted to change a few things in his curriculum, and he was checking a list of books at the Library when Sirius joined him and mentioned their Marauders' days. Now, Sirius truly understood the extent of the damages he'd caused, but there were a handful of magical things about which he was really proud: he'd become an Animagus, and their group had created a map that used spells to show who was moving around the school.

'It's still got to be somewhere around,' Sirius had said.

Remus had teased his old friend, saying that he was too optimistic. One spell later, Sirius was summoning their old map.

'I can feel it's responding, but I can feel a counter-spell of some sort, too. If it's still Argus Filch who's got it in his office, I don't understand how he's put a spell on it,' Sirius complained.

Remus joined his friend and as soon as he cast his own Summoning spell, Remus had to admit that the map was being slowed by _something_.

Severus happened to walk in at that moment, and Sirius called him.

'What are you doing, Todd?' Severus inquired, his deep voice teasing the visiting wizard.

'Summoning the item that allowed us to avoid being detected by teachers. Care to help?' Sirius asked good-naturedly.

Remus was ecstatic when Severus joined them, and the three of them worked together. Sirius and Severus had really grown up.

The reason they'd needed the strength of their three spells to summon a mere piece of parchment was that George Weasley was holding onto it. When Sirius's Summoning had started to make George walk toward the Mallard side of the Burrow where the Floo Network transported him to Dumbledore's office. George had grabbed his twin's hand, and both had literally flown into the Hogwarts library.

Severus was swift enough to step aside, and Remus was not directly in front of the flying twins. Sirius was too surprised and didn't stop his spell; he ended up involuntarily breaking the twins' flight.

When Severus and Remus were done laughing and they'd helped the twins and Sirius up from the floor, Remus asked George and Fred why they hadn't let go of the map. The twins confessed that they were using it regularly and didn't want to surrender it.

Remus and Severus, as teachers, were both tempted to keep it, but Sirius grabbed the twins' hands and dragged them out of the library, pretending that he'd accompany them back home. Neither Remus nor Severus believed a word of what Sirius said, but they didn't mind, and the twins had never found themselves in serious trouble because of the map.

Remus and Severus agreed to tell Kate how funny Sirius had been trapped on the floor under two Weasleys, and then they'd go share this excellent story with their common friend, the flamboyant Alan O'Neill.

En route, Sirius told the twins that he'd show them everything that the map could reveal. They ended up in the Room of Requirement, a magical room that provided whoever summoned it with what that person needed. They were all surprised to find that it was the Room of Hidden Things that appeared; it was a room full of cabinets and odds and bits – things that had been rejected, abandoned or forgotten. They sat down on an old, broken sofa.

'This room will allow me to show you something we seldom used, but since _Peter_,' Sirius said, spitting the name of the traitor, 'kept losing stuff, we'd added a spell that showed objects instead of people. Let me show you.'

Five seconds later, Sirius was gaping when a purple dot indicated that Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem was in the room where they were; that diadem was on Abby's list of Horcruxes. They brought it to Dumbledore, who tried to figure out the best way to destroy it. The twins came up with a valid idea when they suggested that their brother Charlie could have one of the dragons he was taking care of in Romania incinerate it.

Of course, it was a pity to lose such a precious item, but Riddle had to be defeated. Within the hour, Sirius was back from Romania, and the diadem was a pile of ashes.

Remus and Severus told the twins they'd ignore the map as long as they didn't do anything silly because of it. The twins retreated to the Burrow hastily before their teachers changed their minds.

The next item on Abby's list was obtained thanks to a trick that was borderline illegal. She and Severus had been able to assess that Riddle's obsession with three of the Four Founders of Hogwarts had to be important. The locket that Kreacher destroyed had belonged to Salazar Slytherin, and the diadem was Ravenclaw's; they weren't surprised when their spells revealed that a cup that had belonged to Helga Hufflepuff had been turned into a Horcrux. Of course, only Gryffindor was left out of Riddle's madness.

The cup was stored in the Gringotts' vault in the name of the family of one of Narcissa's sisters, Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix was in Azkaban after she'd been judged guilty of being an active Death Eater.

As one of the few members of Bellatrix's family not dead or in jail, the goblins allowed Narcissa into the vault. As soon as she'd stepped out of the bank, she'd Apparated to Romania were another dragon toasted the cup.

The hunt for the last item almost had dire consequences. The very last Horcrux was a ring that had belonged to Riddle's Pureblood grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt. Apparently, Riddle had never understood how precious that ring truly was, but the instant he saw it, Dumbledore knew it for what it was: the Resurrection Stone, one of the three Deathly Hallows.

There was that stone, which allowed the holder to see and communicate with the dead; the second one was the Invisibility Cloak now in Harry's possession, which completely shielded the one who wore it – even from Death himself, and there was a wand, the Elder Wand.

Ollivander had been the one to let the cat out of the bag, because he'd explained to his adopted grandson, Harry, who was becoming more and more interested in wand-making, that the wand that was probably the most powerful one ever created was Dumbledore's.

Dumbledore wasn't too happy with Ollivander, but Nana Mallard pointed out that they needed to be honest about everything within the ranks of the Order – and Dumbledore had to admit that she was right.

When Dumbledore, Abby, Severus and Mike recovered the ring from the estate of Riddle's grandfather, Dumbledore forgot that the Horcrux contained in it was cursed. He almost put the ring on his finger as he was practically mesmerized by it.

Mike and Dumbledore had shared everything about their lives. Mike had confessed the few illegal things he'd done in his job, and Dumbledore had admitted that he'd been a silly young man. Dumbledore even talked about his unusual relationship with the then-future Dark wizard Grindelwald. Dumbledore and Grindelwald had shared an interest for the Deathly Hallows and a torrid, but short-lived affair.

All his life, Dumbledore had been looking for the Resurrection Stone in order to communicate with his parents and his sister.

Mike saw the odd look in his companion's eyes, and since he had no magic to use, he punched his lover's nose.

'Wfaht?!' Dumbledore barked as he held his bleeding nose.

'Let Abby clean the stone if she can, but don't put the bloody thing on!' Mike growled.

Abby took the ring in the box where it was stored and promised Dumbledore to do her best to salvage such a magical item. With a flick of his wand, Severus healed Dumbledore. The old wizard thanked Abby and Severus and apologized to his companion.

Mike looked at Abby; her eyes were completely black, indicating that she was in full seer-mode, and she nodded to show that everything would be all right.

Two days before Harry's birthday, the last Horcrux was destroyed – in order to clean the ring, Abby had had to call a few other priestesses from all over the globe, but they'd managed to do it.

However, when given the ring that was now curse-free, Dumbledore could not put it on his finger. The scene took place in the Mallard side of the Burrow, and Dumbledore handed the ring to Severus. He looked at the ring for several minutes, but he knew that he could not hold Lily if he used it, and he placed it on the nearest piece of furniture.

Ducky asked if he could have it. He'd use it to help the unfortunate ones who'd end up on his autopsy table. The deal was apparently settled.

Harry's birthday was a happy party. His friends and family relaxed together before the war started again.

The members of the Orders were planning their next step – the location and annihilation of the Dark Lord – when some disturbing news reached them. There had been a mutiny in Azkaban, and a few wizards and witches had escaped, among them were two Death Eaters, Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr.

The next year would _not_ be quiet at Hogwarts.

Remus and Severus were planning a few extra security measures to make sure that the children would be safe. They were working in Remus's house in Spinner's End when Ducky paid them a visit.

'Sit down, my boys,' Ducky said gently.

'What's wrong?' Remus inquired worriedly.

Ducky put the ring on the tea table and said, 'I think you should both wear it once to say goodbye. You never had the opportunity to do so.'

Remus and Severus paled.

'You need to do it,' Ducky insisted.

Remus was the first to take the ring and turn the Stone three times, as Albus had instructed when he explained how it worked.

When Ducky and Severus noticed that their friend was on the verge of tears, they gave him some privacy by retreating to Remus's kitchen.

Remus was visited by his parents and James and Lily Potter. Remus had to admit that Ducky had been right to encourage him to say goodbye, but it hurt like hell.

While Remus was under the spell of the Resurrection Stone, Severus was being too silent for his father's taste.

'Son?' Ducky called softly.

Severus sighed deeply and said, barely above a whisper, 'I don't think I can do it.'

'She will never come back to life, but you can tell her all those things you never had the opportunity to tell her before,' Ducky pointed out.

Severus shrugged.

'Severus, I cannot pretend to imagine what you're going through,' Ducky said kindly. 'I can only tell you that if Minerva was taken from me suddenly, I'd like to say goodbye.'

Severus remained silent and lost in thought for a few minutes that seemed atrociously long to Ducky.

'I'm not certain I'm brave enough,' Severus said softly.

'Son, you are the bravest man I know,' Ducky countered him.

Severus shrugged.

Silence fell in the kitchen.

When Remus joined them, it was obvious that he'd been crying. He walked straight to Severus and placed the ring in his friend's hand.

'Do it,' was all that Remus said with a strangled voice.

Severus went to Remus's dining-room. He sat in the best chair and looked at the item that could allow him to see once more the woman he loved.

In the end, the desire to see Lily again overcame his fears; he turned the Stone in his hand, but he did so with his eyes closed.

Tears rolled down his cheeks when he heard Lily say, 'Open your eyes, Sev.'

He obeyed and then sobbed when he saw the Apparition – nothing like the ghosts who stayed on the side of the living – of the woman he still loved.

Lily hadn't changed one bit, of course, but Severus found her even more beautiful than he remembered.

'Lily, I…' he said with a strangled voice.

'Shh, I know, Sev. I'm not angry with you or disappointed in anything you did. We've all made dire mistakes,' she said.

'Life without you is one long agony,' Severus sobbed.

'You must stay here to take care of Harry,' Lily said.

'You and Donald must keep being Harry's parents since Lily and I are no longer with you,' James said.

Severus swirled around and gasped. James was standing behind the chair.

James smiled kindly and said, 'Your soul summoned me as well, Severus, and I am grateful.'

Severus tilted his head, more tears spilling, but he was beyond caring – James had seen him with wet cheeks often, as he was one who'd made him cry several times.

'We've stayed near Harry all these years,' Lily explained.

'We've seen how much you love him, how much you protect him,' James said.

'You're one of his parents,' Lily declared.

Severus closed his eyes and shook his head.

'Merlin, Sev! I'll have to ask your new father to cuff the back of your head the way Jethro cuffs Tony,' James said. When Severus turned towards him again, James went on, 'You love Harry _despite_ the fact that he's my son, _because_ he's Lily's legacy, _because_ Donald, Victoria, Minerva, and all of your extended family is doing a great job taking care of our son, and _because_ Harry is a great kid.'

'I love him,' Severus whispered.

'And he loves you,' Lily and James said in synch.

'I'd die for him,' Severus murmured.

'Don't!' James exclaimed. Severus blinked at that. 'Kill for him, but for Merlin's sake, survive! He needs you. He lost us because I trusted Peter. I don't want our baby to lose another parent.'

Severus was about to say something silly, but Lily placed her fingers close to Severus's mouth, even if she could not effectively touch him; it stopped him.

'I'll leave you two,' James said.

Severus opened his mouth to apologize for his feelings for Lily. James looked at Severus very kindly and said, 'I know.' James walked away as he said, 'Take care of our boy, and don't come to our side before a very long time. That's an order, Mallard.'

Severus nodded solemnly.

Lily waited a bit, giving her friend time to compose himself. 'Look at you,' she said gently.

Severus tilted his head.

'You'll have to tell Alan he did a tremendous job. I like the results,' she said.

Severus snorted and wiped away new tears.

'Your dad is going to come soon,' she said hurriedly, as if she were about to disappear. 'I'm so grateful that you're here for Harry.'

'He's more than just your son, Lily. I love him. I really love him,' Severus said.

'And he loves you. Most of the times, we stay near him. There's nothing we can do, but we can see him loved. He's growing up to be a good boy… and he's a fine Slytherin, thanks to you,' she said. 'Ginevra loves him, too. When they get married, you'll have to tell her that I'm happy to give her my baby. Promise?'

Severus couldn't speak. He nodded.

Lily's eyes were shining when she added, 'And you'll have to promise me that you'll find yourself a good witch.'

'I had found the best witch, and I've lost her forever,' Severus sobbed.

'You haven't lost me, Sev,' Lily said softly.

He knew that she meant she'd always be his friend, and it already meant a lot to Severus. He placed two fingers on the ring to be able to take it off once he'd have said what he'd been wanting to tell Lily for years. Lily gave him a small smile, understanding his need.

'I've tried to recover from losing you, Lily – even before you were killed. I cannot. I fell in love with you the minute I saw you playing with Petunia. I don't know why, but I'll always love you. I'm still in love with you, Lily. Don't be angry with me, but I'll die still loving you,' Severus said.

Slowly, he took the ring off his finger, and Lily dissolved with a sad smile upon her face.

Severus started crying like he'd never cried before – not even the night Lily was killed. Ducky took the ring from his son and wrapped him in his arms.

'I apologize, Severus; I didn't mean to make you cry. I wanted to give you some closure,' Ducky said.

Severus could hear the tears in his father's voice, but he was still too moved to speak.

Severus wrapped his arms around Ducky's middle as he sat on the armrest of the chair, and he cried the seven seas.

Remus had put the kettle on, and its whistle brought Severus back to the here and now.

Severus gave his father another hug, wiped his tears again, and said, 'Thanks, Dad.'

'Sev?' Ducky said softly, a bit lost.

'I had never _told_ her I love her. Now, she _knows_,' Severus explained. "And James understands," he thought.

Remus arrived with cups of tea that he put down on the table.

Severus and Ducky got up and joined Remus.

Severus and Remus looked at each other, and to Ducky's surprise, they hugged. The Resurrection Stone had managed to bring the two friends even closer, for which Ducky was grateful.

They drank their tea in silence, and when their cup were empty, they agreed to go and pick Harry up at the Burrow and go invite Alan for lunch. Their favourite gay Squib cheered them up – and helped them prepare for Kate and Sirius's wedding in church.

On August 17th, all their friends and family gathered in the church of Hogshill, the Muggle town near Hogsmeade. Severus tried to join them all in church, but he couldn't; he went to help Kreacher, Kitty and Dobby, though they didn't really need his help to prepare the banquet.

Sirius made sure that his cousin Nymphadora was sitting next to Remus, and then he introduced Severus to his adopted brother, Gil Grissom.

Grissom understood why Severus hadn't joined them. Being a good man, he tried to find a way to help Severus.

Between two courses, Grissom invited Severus to follow him outside.

'What did you want to tell me?' Severus inquired.

'That there are ways to heal,' Grissom answered.

Severus tried to read Grissom's thoughts, but the other wizard was an Occlumens.

Grissom chuckled and said, 'I've been training with a few wizards who are FBI profilers, and one of them, Gideon, taught me Occlumency. I'm a poor Legilimens, though.'

'I apologize.'

'Don't, I'd probably do the same if I could,' Grissom admitted. 'In fact, it would have spared me the most terrible episode in my life.'

Severus waited for Grissom to provide him with an explanation.

Grissom took a deep breath and said, 'Only Fornell knows what happened. One of my Muggle colleagues had convinced me that we could have a relationship. She was beautiful, talented, stubborn, intelligent... I allowed her to convince me that we had a chance. I ended up falling for her. Truly, madly, deeply. One day, I proposed to her, and she said yes.'

'What happened?' Severus wondered.

'I told her I'm a wizard. Fornell was the one who cast the Memory charm. I couldn't do it,' Grissom explained.

'I'm sorry,' Severus whispered.

'I healed,' Grissom said.

'I'm working on it,' Severus admitted.

'Sirius said you're interested in Zen,' Grissom said.

'It helps,' Severus said.

'I know a Master who's looking for a disciple,' Grissom declared innocently.

'A guide might be a good thing,' Severus agreed.

'Abigail said you were made for each other. His Portkey should bring him here… now,' Grissom said as an old, round-faced, smiling wizard-Zen master landed right in front of them. 'How's your Japanese?' Grissom asked Severus.

'Nonexistent,' Severus confessed.

'Then you'll have to learn,' Grissom said. He introduced Severus to Master Ichi and went back to the reception.

Abby, Minerva and Remus helped cast a spell on Severus, and once he could communicate with Ichi, the Master started a new stage of Severus's healing.

Ichi moved into Severus's quiet house in Spinner's End, and Severus started visiting him regularly. On top of Zen, he learnt a few Asian spells he'd never heard of before.

.

(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


	14. Chapter 14

See chapter 1 for notes, disclaimer, and everything…

IMPORTANT NOTE: I've finished writing this story (153 pages!!), but I need to format scenes to post them here. Stay tuned.

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By the time the new school year started, Crouch Jr had vanished from the Aurors' radars, but Bellatrix Lestrange was still spotted from time to time.

The Minister for Magic was afraid that she'd try to attack Hogwarts to try and kill Harry. Much to Dumbledore's chagrin, magical guards from Azkaban, the dreaded Dementors, were to be stationed around Hogwarts. Dementors were odd creatures feeding on happy memories – and sometimes souls.

Severus was absolutely furious to have such vile and dangerous creatures near the school, but even Dumbledore couldn't reason with the Minister.

The first incident of the year took place on the Hogwarts Express.

As usual, Remus and Severus were travelling with Harry and his closest friends. The two professors were on the window-side; Harry sat with Ginny, Ron with Hermione, and Kelly faced Draco. Pansy, Neville, Blaise and their two appointed bodyguards, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were sharing the compartment next-door with Hermione's protégée since the prior year, Luna Lovegood.

The kids with Remus and Severus were chatting about spells and their next school year. Severus was trying to discreetly encourage Remus to invite Tonks for tea. Suddenly, the train stopped, the lights went out, and cold spread.

Remus and Severus knew what must be causing that, but Hermione was the first to say the dreaded name aloud. 'Dementors,' she gasped.

These creatures weren't supposed to be anywhere that close to the students. One of the Dementors opened the door of the compartment where Harry was, and he observed the people there.

Remus and Severus stood up and ordered the Dementor to leave, as it was obvious that neither Lestrange nor Crouch were hiding there, but the Dementor seemed to have another agenda.

The Dark creature floated closer to Harry, who fainted. Ginny placed herself in front of Harry, but the energy that the Dementor was sucking from her made her dizzy.

Remus cast a Patronus to protect their students, but the Dementor resisted it. Right then, Severus understood that this Dementor must have been ordered to hurt Harry. The Patronus that Severus cast against that Dementor was a brilliant, silvery doe; the magic in it was so strong that the Dementor was thrown against the window-pane in the corridor. Severus sent his Patronus to disperse the other Dementors, and then he focussed and whispered a spell that Ichi had taught him; the creature was fully bound and couldn't escape.

'I'll go store him with the trunks, and I'll send Albus an emergency message,' Severus told Remus, who's started taking care of the kids by giving them chocolate to counter the negative magical effect of the Dementors. 'Kitty!' Severus called.

The house-elf appeared instantly and gasped when she saw that her little friend had been targeted by a Dementor.

'What do you want me to do, Severus?' kitty inquired.

'Take care of Harry. Wrap him in love until I come back,' Severus said.

'Are you sure you don't want me to take care of that thing?' Kitty inquired, pointing at the Dementor. 'I could go to Hogwarts, too.'

Severus nodded; Kitty's message to Dumbledore would be too nice for Severus's taste.

While Severus made the trapped Dementor float towards the luggage compartment, the other kids came to see Remus and their friends.

'Why is Harry still out?' Neville asked, very concerned for his friend.

'Because the Dementor focussed on him,' a very shaken Ginny answered.

The poor girl was pale and shivering as she kept munching on the piece of chocolate that Remus had given her.

'And because he was present when his parents were killed,' Luna added.

'He was too young to remember when it happened, Miss Lovegood,' Remus said.

Luna looked at Remus as if he didn't know the simplest things in the world.

'I'm afraid Luna is right. He didn't consciously remember until that thing sucked happiness from our sweet Harry, and then the latent memory became active,' Kitty said.

'What can we do for him?' Draco asked.

'Be there for him when it overwhelms him, and he starts crying,' Kitty said.

They all nodded.

Harry began to stir when Severus joined them again.

Ginny didn't let go of Harry, but the others moved to let Severus sit next to his son.

'I remember her scream,' Harry gasped.

Not caring that the others saw him weak, Severus wrapped his arms around Harry – and Ginny – and rocked slowly.

Remus gave Harry a piece of chocolate that Ginny urged him to eat, and then Harry fell asleep in Severus's arms. Harry mumbled a "thanks, Dad" that only Severus, Ginny and Remus heard.

Ginny beamed at her professor, who gave her a small smile.

'One point to Slytherin,' Remus said.

'Brat,' Severus said with a small chuckle.

'What's going to happen now?' Kelly asked.

'Headmaster Dumbledore should have Aurors and people from the Ministry waiting for us when we arrive. I want to know who sent that Dementor after Harry,' Severus said.

'It has to be a Death Eater or a member of the Ministry,' Hermione stated.

'We heard nothin' about an attack,' Vincent said.

His friend Gregory elbowed him to remind him to be more discreet. Blaise and Harry had convinced them that the way of the Dark Lord would never be to their advantage, but the two boys still had to improve on their strategy skills in order not to betray their new friends and to reveal their new loyalty.

'Hermione was trying to be a diplomat,' Draco pointed out.

Vincent looked at their Ravenclaw friend, obviously lost. Hermione gave him a sad smile and explained, 'If you heard nothing about an attack against Harry, it must mean that someone at the Ministry ordered the attack.'

'Not good,' Vincent mumbled.

They all thought that the boy summarized the situation perfectly well. The adults in the Order of the Phoenix had always known that there were cowards in the Ministry, but they'd hoped that they wouldn't have enemies there. The situation had just got much more complicated.

Severus turned towards Remus and whispered, 'I have the odd feeling that I'm going to yell in Albus's office even before we start the school year officially this time.'

When the train arrived, Severus entrusted Harry's security and well-being to his friends. It was raining cats and dogs as the carriages took the students to Hogwarts. On their way, in their packed carriage, Harry's friends agreed that they had to train even harder. They knew that they were young, but they didn't want to feel as powerless as when the Dementors had boarded the train.

'What's the spell that Professor Prince-Mallard used?' Pansy asked.

'It's a Patronus,' Harry said.

'You must ask Uncle Remus to teach it to you,' Kelly said.

Her voice was odd, and when there was a stroke of lightning, her friends saw that her eyes were completely black. She had become a full seer.

Kelly's eyes turned back to normal once Harry promised to ask.

'Then, you'll have to teach us,' Ron said.

Draco nodded in agreement, as he said, 'He'll teach you to protect yourself, but if we try to learn it, too, they'll mother us.'

'They could stop us,' Gregory said softly.

'Not if we train in secret,' Blaise suggested.

'But where can we do that?' Pansy wondered.

'We'll have to ask the twins. I'm sure they can find us a safe spot, thanks to the Map Sirius gave them,' Ron said.

'I'll ask them,' Ginny said.

The little Slytherin had her brothers wrapped around her finger.

While the kids were planning to start their own branch of the Order, Remus and Severus used the Floo Network at the station, and stormed into Dumbledore's office.

The guilty Dementor had been taken there. Moody and Tonks had Floo'ed to investigate the incident. The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, had joined them with his special assistant, Dolores Umbridge.

Fudge was horrified that one of the Azkaban guards had targeted Harry. However, Umbridge didn't look too bothered.

'I said it was a terrible idea to use Dementors to protect the kids!' Moody growled.

'They're too unstable,' Tonks agreed.

'Auror Tonks!' Umbridge spat with pursed lips. 'The Dementors obey the Ministry.'

The civil servant wore a hideous pink suit, and she looked like a toad that had eaten too many flies.

Before Nymphadora could say anything that might anger Umbridge, Moody growled, 'That is exactly the problem, Umbridge. Someone must have ordered the Dementors to look for Harry. We'll need to take this one to Headquarters.'

'What for? Are you planning to try to give it Veritaserum?' Umbridge said as if Moody were a fool.

'There are ways to interrogate a Dementor,' Moody and Remus said in synch. They smiled at each other in spite of the strange situation.

Umbridge squeaked and paled, as if she didn't know that and it bothered her. Her high-pitched voice was even higher when she said, 'I'm sure that Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, must have done something to draw attention to himself. Maybe the child is a Dark creature.'

If Severus could have used the Killing curse and got away with it, he would have, but since it was impossible, he decided to use any and all means to make sure that Umbridge wouldn't be a threat to his Harry.

All his friends admired Severus's self-control.

The first to speak, with Fawkes perched on his shoulder, was Mike – much to everybody's surprise, because Dumbledore's companion was usually silent in the office. 'If this were one of my crime scenes,' Mike said, 'I'd search for anything not in its place.'

'And what would that be?' Umbridge spat.

'The only odd thing here is you, lady,' Mike said.

Moody nodded.

'Dolores is helping me a lot!' protested Fudge.

'Helping you, or manipulating you?' Tonks asked.

Umbridge glared at the young Auror.

'Cornelius, you should have this Dementor destroyed,' Umbridge suggested.

'You're right. He's too dangerous,' the Minister agreed.

Fudge's obedience was suspicious, and Severus projected a single word – "Imperius" – to Moody, who allowed the invasion of his mind. Even though the Imperius curse was illegal, there was a chance that the witch had used it on her employer to make sure that she could control him.

Since he'd been freed, Dobby had come to work at Hogwarts, and he was quite fond of Mike. The house-elf arrived instantly when Mike called him.

'Dobby, I need you to enter the mind of that Dementor and retrieve the name of the person who ordered him to target Harry. Can you do that?' Mike inquired.

Dobby whimpered, but obeyed.

The magic that Dobby used was not something that Umbridge could comprehend. She cast a spell that only high members of the Ministry could use, and she annihilated the Dementor.

'No need for that interrogation. We'll send a secretary to check that the other Dementors are obedient and still bound to the Ministry,' Umbridge announced.

'We should have Aurors around, too,' Moody said.

'Do _whatever_ pleases you,' Umbridge spat. 'The brat should be safe now. Come, Cornelius, let's go back to your office now.'

Fudge followed her obediently.

'Does "Do whatever pleases you" sound like a carte blanche to you?' Moody asked quietly.

'From where I stand, it does,' Mike answered.

Dobby squeaked and pointed towards the fireplace.

'Is she the one who told the Dementor to attack Harry?' Dumbledore asked.

Dobby nodded, his eyes bulging with fear.

'Why would she order such a thing?' Remus wondered.

'Because she's a power-crazed bitch,' Tonks declared, which made Remus grin at her.

For the first time since they'd met, neither Remus, nor Tonks, was stuttering or blushing or doing anything odd. They were on the same wave-length and completely at ease.

They all chuckled at Tonks's statement, but they had to agree.

'We can't prove what she's done now. The Dementor has been reduced to ashes, and no one would believe Dobby,' Mike pointed out.

'I'll go check on Harry,' Severus announced. 'We can discuss plans during the banquet.'

Tonks looked at Severus curiously as he stormed out of the office.

'Better not even try to imagine what he's _really_ going to do,' Mike told her.

She nodded fervently.

'Tonks, you'll stay here. I want you to protect the kids, order of the Ministry,' Moody said.

'I'll warn the other teachers to be very careful,' Dumbledore promised.

'You should call a meeting of the Order as soon as possible,' Remus suggested.

'Tomorrow night,' Dumbledore decided.

Moody went back to the Auror Headquarters, and worked on warning the members of the Order that they had a new enemy.

The others, including Tonks, went to the banquet. Severus was already sitting at his usual place when they arrived.

When Severus had left the office, he was planning to kill Umbridge. James's words were turning in his head, and he knew that the witch was a real threat. He was choosing a poison he'd invented – something that no one would ever detect – when Kitty appeared next to him. She'd told him that she'd already taken care of the dangerous toad. Kitty had used a Dark spell that would slowly increase Umbridge's paranoia.

Kitty's timing was absolutely perfect, because the next day, Umbridge attacked the Minister for Magic in front of many witnesses and was killed by Aurors, who protected Fudge. Umbridge's death freed Fudge from the curse she'd put on him, and after a quick check-up at the hospital, he Floo'ed to Dumbledore's office to apologize for what the apparently demented woman had made him do.

Fudge was feeling so guilty for not seeing what Umbridge had been doing that he granted Dumbledore everything the Headmaster wanted.

All the Dementors were sent back to Azkaban – and interrogated to check that Umbridge hadn't left some Dark and hidden legacy. Fortunately, she'd used only one to attack Harry and try to discredit the boy, because she thought that he was too dangerous.

It was true that the wizard or witch on the street usually believed that Harry was the one who had defeated the Dark Lord, and most people were fascinated with Harry, as if he were a Muggle actor or rock star – even though Harry's family managed to hide that fact from him most of the times. Apparently, Umbridge had decided that Harry's unsolicited popularity was a threat, and she'd taken measures – measures that had cost her her life.

A unit of Aurors was dispatched to Hogwarts for as long as the two escaped Death Eaters were not captured. Moody and Tonks moved in with a few of their friends. They were all given quarters in various areas of Hogwarts; the castle gave Tonks quarters that were next to Remus's. It made things easier when they started dating.

Harry convinced Remus to teach him the Patronus spell. It took the boy a lot of training sessions, but he managed to produce a complete Patronus. In fact, Remus noticed that the shape of Harry's Patronus was odd; Harry knew that James's was a stag, and Lily's and Severus's a doe. Harry was torn between his two magical father figures, and Remus suggested that Harry relax and focus on his first Protector. Harry's Patronus ended up taking the form of a mallard, which made Severus quite happy – and made him chuckle, too. Harry's Patronus wasn't a big manifestation, but it was extremely powerful.

Harry shared his additional lessons with his friends – and a few other volunteers who'd understood that the war might well be about to start again. The Weasley twins showed them how to summon the Room of Requirement, and the group, whose name was Dumbledore's Brigade, trained in every possible field. They may be very young, but they didn't want to be helpless when the fighting started again. Older students agreed to share more advanced knowledge with them.

There was only one secret, one ability, that Harry shared exclusively with Ginny – he taught her how to become an Animagus. She was making progress, but she couldn't transform yet.

The school year was very busy.

The hunt for Bellatrix ended in the early spring in a strange and disturbing way.

Severus was brewing a potion for the hospital wing, when a Malfoy house-elf begged him to Floo to Malfoy Manor.

Severus threw a pinch of Floo powder into the fire to call Dumbledore and let him know where he was going, and he went to the Malfoys'.

Narcissa welcomed him; she had apparently been asleep when something happened; her usually impeccable hair was a mess, and she was wearing an obviously hastily put-on dressing gown.

'Lucius's killed Bella,' she explained.

She led Severus to Sophie's nursery. Bellatrix was dead on the floor, the room was a complete battlefield, Lucius's clothes were torn and singed, and his long hair was half-burnt. The arrogant Lucius Malfoy was sitting on the floor, his daughter in his arms, rocking the child, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Lucius pointed his wand at Severus's throat.

'I'm here to help,' Severus said.

Lucius didn't lower his wand and said, 'You'll have to report me to the Dark Lord. I'll kill you before I let him have my baby girl!'

'What do you mean, Lucius?' Narcissa demanded.

Lucius nodded towards Bellatrix and said, 'She told me that Crouch has located our Master, and she added that Crouch needed the blood of an innocent, Pureblood child to restore our Master's body. She was about to take Sophie. I had to kill her!'

Narcissa gasped. 'She wanted to give him Sophie?!' she growled.

Lucius nodded. He looked at Severus and said, 'I've killed to protect my children, I'll do it again, Prince-Mallard.'

Severus unbuttoned his left sleeve and showed Lucius that he was free of the Dark Lord's influence.

'How?' Lucius gasped.

'My sister. Voodoo has ways to fight against Dark spells,' Severus explained. 'Will you let me help you?'

'Yes,' Narcissa answered for her husband.

Severus took a deep breath and considered their options. He made a few choices and called Moody and Abby.

Since it would be too dangerous for the Malfoys to have the Death Eaters suspect what was going on, the death of Bellatrix was attributed to Moody. He pretended that he'd been monitoring the Malfoys in the hope that Narcissa's sister would show.

Abby agreed to free Lucius from his Dark Mark. It would complicate their spying activities, but Abby agreed to focus on her gift to warn them about the activities of Riddle and his followers.

Moody pretended that he needed to interrogate the Malfoys, and they disappeared from the face of the Earth. The day after Bellatrix's death, Lucius and Narcissa packed a few things, took Patrick and Sophie and moved to the Mallard side of the Burrow, which the Order had made Unplottable. The Malfoys couldn't go out, but as long as it meant that their family was safe, they didn't care.

That issue was settled, but the Order needed to understand Riddle and Crouch's plans. Severus was the first to come to the most logical conclusion, and he didn't like his deduction.

Between the moment when Riddle had tried to kill Harry – and had lost his body in the process – and the day he'd met Quirrell, the Dark Lord had been gathering energy. When Harry had killed Quirrell, thanks to the traces of Lily's magical sacrifice in her son's blood, Riddle had found himself almost back to square one.

However, as soon as he'd escaped, Crouch went looking for his Master, and the young, ambitious Death Eater came up with a plan to help the Dark Lord. There were potions that would allow Riddle to regain his own body, but those would require a lot of time, and Harry would have to be captured to contribute with a blood offering. Riddle and Crouch were not patient enough for that solution; they decided to take another kind of action. Crouch was so demented and power-crazy that he offered to give Riddle his body; a tiny part of what made Crouch would survive in his body, and Riddle's soul would instantaneously be given a new, younger body.

The Dark potion that would allow Riddle to settle into Crouch's body didn't take too long to brew, but it required the death of an innocent, Pureblood child.

Crouch and Riddle tried to kidnap a baby when Bellatrix didn't come back to them with Sophie Malfoy. That attack confirmed Severus's theory, and Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that measures had to be taken. In consequence, Pureblood parents of very young children were informed of the threat, and Aurors were sent to their home if they felt they needed extra protection.

Crouch and Riddle ordered a couple of Death Eaters to have a child who'd be sacrificed on the altar of this madness.

The plan of the Dark Lord and his most faithful minion was to take over the country and end the war for good as soon as Riddle could migrate into Crouch's body. Until their sacrifice was born to the Macnairs, Crouch suggested an evil plan to capture Harry and kill him. Riddle was convinced that he had to finish what he'd started and kill Harry to fulfil the Prophecy, and then, with the boy out of the frame, Riddle thought he'd rule easily and win the war he'd started decades ago.

The Order of the Phoenix was working to be ready for whatever was coming.

However, the Order was slowed down tremendously when someone at the Ministry decided to revive an old tradition by organizing the famous Triwizard Tournament.

Dark spells had been cast on various people working in the Ministry, so that the idea couldn't be traced back to Crouch – even though the young Death Eater had found a way not to be detected when he worked for his Master.

The Crouches were an old family, and young Barty's mother was deeply attached to him. The night her son broke into their home and captured Crouch Sr, she agreed to help him. The loyal civil servant was imprisoned in his own cellar, his own wife becoming his warden to prevent their son from being sent back to Azkaban – and possibly executed.

Crouch Jr used a cauldron of Polyjuice potion he'd brewed, which allowed him to look like his father as he worked on trapping Harry.

Hogwarts was to welcome the Tournament and accommodate students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. There was to be one champion for each school – a champion who had to be old enough to know powerful spells and charms in order to face the tasks of the tournament.

The Goblet of Fire, a highly magical artefact, received the names of all potential candidates, and it chose the students who would enter the competition.

Durmstrang's champion was a young semi-pro Quidditch player, Viktor Krum. Beauxbatons' champion was a young woman, Fleur Delacour, who had a bit of Veela heritage, which made her very attractive to the opposite sex. Ron was almost levitating to the ceiling of the Main Hall when the Goblet chose a Hufflepuff, Cedric Diggory, to be Hogwarts' champion.

The fears of the older members of the Order came true when the Goblet spat out a piece of parchment naming a fourth champion: Harry Potter.

The four champions were taken to Dumbledore's office. Viktor and Fleur's Heads, Igor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, were protesting loudly, saying that Harry was too young and that Hogwarts couldn't have two champions. Crouch, under his father's guise, declared that even though it was extraordinary, the magic of the Goblet was binding. The Triwizard Tournament would have four champions; Crouch pretended to be sorry, but Harry would have to compete with the others. Crouch didn't want to stay too long in a place where Moody could notice something unusual and endanger Riddle's Dark plans; he announced that he'd go back to the Ministry to register the names of the four champions.

As soon as the Ministry impostor was out of the office, Karkaroff and Maxime started protesting again. Their students became rather vocal, too.

Cedric Diggory wrapped a protective arm around Harry's shoulders and cast a spell to silence the others with his free hand.

'Are you all completely stupid?! Harry is underage for this competition, and even though he's quite gifted, he's too young to have tricked the Goblet. If the Weasley twins, however hard they tried, couldn't trick it, Harry didn't do it! It's got to be a plan of the Dark Lord to endanger Harry. I'll protect and help him, and I hope you'll do the same. We should work together against darkness,' Cedric declared.

'Thank you, Mr Diggory,' Severus said as he revealed his presence.

'Zis 'as to be a lie,' Maxime said.

'The only lie here was Crouch. It's not the father, but the Death Eater son. He's using Polyjuice potion. I've read his thoughts,' Severus declared.

They all gasped.

'We must plan our next actions carefully,' Severus paused dramatically. Then he added, 'I'll give you all the choice between two spells. Either I Memory-charm you, or you'll agree to an Unbreakable Vow that'll prevent you from mentioning what I've just revealed.'

Crouch's plan backfired, because the guests and champions all agreed to help.

The adults followed Severus's strategy, working against Crouch without letting him know that they knew he wasn't who he pretended to be and planning things to counter every possible action with Abby's invaluable help.

In the meantime, the students were not inactive.

.

(Next scene as soon as possible. It's typed and edited… I "just" need to format it for here)


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